The White & Black Bird
by Another Artist
Summary: The Kabras are ruthless and vicious, even to the Lucians. However, no one's ever gotten close enough to them to figure out their dark secret. That is, until Amy comes along… Ian/Amy. COMPLETE.
1. Default Chapter

Centuries ago, the mythological gods were very much alive and thrived in Greek or even Roman cultures under different names. They came to Earth often in the form of human beings.

One day, a beautiful girl with unearthly powers made a deal with Hades, the god of the Underworld. She, in return for a normal life, would stay with Hades while his wife, Persephone, left during the spring and summer. Hades agreed to it and took away her powers, along with the problems that came with them.

Little did the girl know that her father was Zeus, who secretly conceived her with her human mother. It was a full moon, and Selene had shined her light on the baby the night she was born. Her father, so proud of the beautiful baby girl, asked the Fates to give her a special life. And they did, leading to her powers to calm the weather and play with nature.

Hades knew this and used this for his own abuse. He and the girl soon had a new child together- one so beautiful and dangerous that it was indeed no human.

Because they were so dangerous, they stayed between two families named after two strong creatures: the cobras and the lions. The cobras, later to have the family name of Kabra, and the lions, later to have the family name of Lione, were to always have two heirs of different sexes to marry and have a new family. The two families, of course, were very big and would always have new heirs.

However, the families were not ordinary. Each came with powers along with beauty. Both had the power to blend into the shadows, extraordinary strength, and the power of hypnosis. But along with these strong powers came their weakness: they had to feed off of others' energy.

While new, the families knew little of this. They didn't know that if they fed too much, the person would become lifeless, but not dead. Thus, the origin of zombies. For a while, they created zombies. After realizing this, they burned them and made sure never to feed too much on a human again.

Therefore, each family was to follow a new set of rules. There were some rules restricted only to each family, but there were three major rules that both families must follow:

1. Never feed too much on one being, unless one would like a punishing and the responsibility of burning the leftover tell another of their fall in love with a human being.

2. Never tell someone on the outside about them.

3. Never fall in love with an outsider.

This rarely happened, however. Rule number one was the rule that was most often broken, but the rest were very rare to have come across.

But this was before the 39 Clues came and went. This was before Ian Kabra, the latest heir of the Kabra family, met Amy Cahill.

* * *

Seventeen-year-old Amy walked down the park pathway, sighing as another autumn leaf fell. _It's only been three years since the hunt began, and one since it ended… and yet I still can't get over it. We could've won! We were so close… so close to unlocking all the secrets Grace left for us! And we failed… we failed her. _Amy sniffed, holding back the tears that were threatening her.

Then, her phone started ringing. Fumbling with her books, she grabbed her phone out of her pocket. "Hello?"

"Get your butt back here! It's almost time for supper, and you haven't cooked anything yet!" Aunt Beatrice shouted.

Amy rolled her eyes, pulling the phone back as to not hurt her hearing. "I'm almost home. Just give me five minutes."

"Hurry," she snapped, hanging up. abruptly.

Amy stuffed her phone back into her pocket and jogged back home, praying the whole time that she wouldn't drop her books again. When Amy later crashed through the apartment door, still juggling her books clumsily in her arms, she was greeted with a big surprise: Aunt Beatrice packing.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, frowning.

Aunt Beatrice's head snapped up to glare at her niece. "I've just been invited to visit Cuba with a friend of mine. I, of course, accepted. But, I refuse to leave you and your ridiculous brother home alone, so go pack up!"

"We're going?" Amy asked drearily. _I have school… she knows that. _

"Of course not!" she snapped. "Luckily, right on time, someone offered to take you in for the five months I will be gone for."

Amy frowned. _Not another bossy family… _"Who are they?"

Aunt Beatrice scowled though, walking back into her room to grab more clothing, completely ignoring Amy's question.

_I guess that means Dan and I better start packing…_ Amy walked over to her room and set her books down and her book bag. Dan walked over.

"You hear the good news?" he muttered, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

Amy nodded with a sigh. "You know who the family is?"

Dan shrugged. "Wouldn't tell me, of course. Crazy old bat..."

Amy pouted, frustrated. "Go pack," she finally told him.

"Already done," he replied.

"You did pack more than stupid video games, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her brother in speculation.

He nodded. "A pair of underwear, a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of socks."

She groaned. It was like packing for the 39 Clues hunt all over again… "We're going to be there for _months_, Dan. You're going to need more."

Dan shrugged. "They have washing machines, don't they?"

She held back her urge to throw a dictionary at her brother. _Maybe it'd make him smarter, though… _"Go. Pack."

Dan groaned, trudging reluctantly back to his room.

"Are you brats ready!" Aunt Beatrice screamed from the living room. "I have a flight to catch!"

"Almost," Amy sighed, folding up her jacket and placing it into her bag.

* * *

The taxi pulled up to a dark corner near a building that Amy found unrecognizable.

"Are you sure this is the –" Amy started.

"Of course," Aunt Beatrice snapped. "Now hurry and get out! I must finish packing!"

Amy and Dan got out with their bags, watching the taxi pull of the curb and drive off. Amy frowned.

"Where are we?" Dan asked.

"At a secret rendezvous," a new voice replied. A strangely familiar silky voice…

Out of the shadows appeared a beautiful young girl with dark hair and porcelain skin. Natalie Kabra, of course, had a small purse around her arm - it probably had a dart gun in it, her favorite weapon of choice: quiet and small, easy-to-use.

"N-Natalie?" Amy whispered, now scared. _Did Aunt Beatrice set this up? Did she really want us to be killed by all things evil! And the worse part is that where Natalie is, her brother is probably nearby._

"Y-Yes," Natalie mimicked, smirking.

"What are you doing here?" Dan snapped, glaring at Natalie through the darkness.

"Why," a deeper voice that was just as silky replied, "we're taking you in. The least you can do is be grateful, however."

"Ian," Amy whispered, sounding more frightened.

Ian stepped out of the shadows, a pleased grin on his face. "Hello, Amy. Miss me?" Amy wasn't sure if the darkness made Ian look more frightening and intimidating than usual... or even more good-looking.

She honestly wanted to spit in his face at that moment, but she didn't have the guts to tell him that.

"No," her brother answered for her, crossing his arms. "And what did you mean you're taking us in? You hate us, remember?"

"I hate you," Ian corrected, rolling his dark eyes as he stared at Dan. "But not her." He gestured to the blushing Amy beside Dan.

"Well, she hates you," Dan spat, full-out glaring at him now.

"Why don't we let her answer that?" Ian asked coolly. "Do you hate me, Amy?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice a lot stronger than she felt.

Ian took this in thoughtfully for a moment before replying, "Perhaps it seems that way, but it's not true. We both know of your feelings for me, Amy."

She blushed furiously, staring at the ground as she covered herself with her arms. She was thankful of the dark right now.

"Oh stop flirting, Ian," Natalie snapped, brushing her hair back. "Mum and Dad want them back before midnight, remember?"

"Yes, yes," Ian said, not liking having his sister tell him the rules he obviously knew. "Let us go."

"Who said we're going with you guys?" Dan asked, almost stomping a foot in frustration.

"Child services," Natalie replied nonchalantly. "Because without a guardian above the age of eighteen, you two are without one… especially since we got rid of that annoying Bea-"

"Shut up, Natalie," Ian abruptly interrupted, a scowl on his face. Honestly, did he have to do everything around here? Natalie glared at him but stopped talking.

Amy didn't seem to notice Natalie's slip-up. She just looked at Dan, knowing she was right about the child services part. "I'm only 17," she whispered, shaking her head.

"We can survive without a guardian until your birthday!" Dan argued ignorantly. He did _not _want to live with the Kabras; he'd rather be a hobo.

She shook her head. "My birthday is not for another two months! And how will we survive for that long? And the schools ought to be suspicious…" She sighed sadly. Things were just getting worse and worse.

Dan scowled, readjusting his bag with a humph. "Fine," he muttered, walking past the two dangerously beautiful siblings. "Let's go." Amy followed mutely, Ian and Natalie walking behind her. Ian looked smug, and Natalie annoyed.

In the car, Ian discreetly texted Natalie:

_I told you it would work._

Natalie texted back, annoyed:

_Whatever. I can't believe mum and dad agreed. Do they even know of your infatuation with the girl?_

Ian glared at her when he finished reading and replied:

_Shut up! I do not like the girl, and am not infatuated. I'm merely… curious about her._

Then, after that, he quickly texted, again:

_AND DO NOT TELL MOM AND DAD ABOUT THAT!_

Natalie locked her iPhone, rolling her eyes.

"L-O-V-E," she mouthed to her brother.

"H-A-T-E," he mouthed back, ignoring her for the rest of the car ride.

Meanwhile, Dan was concentrating on destroying either Ian or Natalie with a poisonous glare. Amy bit her lip, trying not to blush from being so close to Ian. After all, he sat right beside her in the limousine, despite the many available seats.

They got to the estate after some time. From the moment she laid eyes on it, it took Amy's breath away. There was a long hill, a long pathway going all the way up to the main house, green grass on both sides. On top of the hill sat a white mansion. Even if the white was pure and bright, there was something eerie about the house. The house had three levels, and large parts to it, so that it would be possible that each family member that lived in it never have contact with each other on some days. In the back was a tennis court, basketball court, huge pool, and a small outhouse. Then, there was a vast area of nature. Amy was sure that she'd love to go out there someday… if she was allowed.

"You are," Ian answered.

"What?" she asked quietly, shocked. She hadn't said that out loud, had she?

"You are allowed to go out back," he explained.

Natalie glared at him, her glare obviously saying:_ You idiot! You can't have her find out of our powers!_

The Kabras had one power the Liones didn't: the power to read minds. Of course, they had to be within close distance, like how Ian is with Amy. Anything farther than five yards, and the connection is like static – unreadable.

Ian just ignored his sister though, and concentrated on Amy's thoughts.

_I didn't say anything out loud! So how had he heard? Oh my gosh, maybe I'm subconsciously saying my thoughts out loud… oh I'm such an embarrassment! _She blushed at this.

Ian couldn't help but smirk. Now he wished he had the Liones' power.

The Liones' power is to communicate through thoughts – the opposite of the Kabras. This makes it easy for them to communicate without actual words.

They walked into the well-furnished house. Amy wanted to examine each piece carefully and check how well crafted it was, but she found herself too tired to. Ian noticed this and looked at his sister.

"Well, it is past waking hours," he reasoned. "I shall show Amy to her room, and Natalie, you shall show Dan to his. Tomorrow morning, you two shall meet our parents and the rest of the family."

Amy wanted to object very badly to everything he just said, but bit her lip. _No need to be rude… they are the hosts anyway… even though I have no idea why they invited us here to begin with. _

Ian showed Amy to her room, the butlers carrying their bags behind them - although Amy had argued that she could carry her own bags.

"It's beautiful," she whispered upon opening the doors.

"Yes, well, my mother had it newly furnished for you. Thank the Heavens though, for it was quite dreadful before," Ian said, shaking his head. At times, his mother's taste could be prehistoric, and a professional would need to be called in instead to fix the mistake.

"Well, I like it," she said quietly, walking in. The butlers set the bags down and walked off with a bow. She thanked them quietly with a smile.

For a moment, Ian felt a ping at his heart. She had smiled at them for their simple deed, but not him for housing them. He frowned unknowingly at this. He was now determined to make her smile at him at least once during her stay… or more. Hopefully more.

"Well, I bid you good night," he said with a stout bow, then left the room.

_So formal, _Amy thought to herself. _So strange… _Quickly, Amy changed and got ready, falling asleep as soon as she laid on the soft bed. All thoughts of her surroundings left as slumber took her.

* * *

**A/N:** Not a majorTwilight fan, but I don't mind the supernatural aspect. The Kabras and Liones are not exactly vampires, but they do rely off of others' energy to survive. The main reason I went for this idea is because I thought the Kabras acted mysterious all of the time and needed a reason for it. [This was for storyteller221's contest, which was supposed to work with a fantasy sort of idea, if I remember correctly.]

-edited as of August 23rd, 2011


	2. Moving In But Wanting Out

**Moving In But Wanting Out**

**-**

_"I've always been told that the first page of any story is the most important."_

_-_

The next morning Amy woke up early, heavy with slumber. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and walked outside of her room.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, frowning. Then, she heard a loud ringing. _My phone! _She went back into her room and grabbed it, seeing she had a text. _Who texts me?_

Hey Amy. It's me, Hamilton! Remember? Well, I heard you live in New York, so I was going to visit.

The text stopped, but then she got another one, continuing the message.

Then you were gone. Anyway, I got your number by your page thingy on that one site… what's it called? Oh whatever. Anyway, wanna hang out sometime?

Amy smiled. Hamilton helped save her life during the hunt one time, even if he tried killing her before. After Ian's mom tried killing her… doubts came to Amy's mind about staying with the Kabras. But she went back to thinking about Hamilton. He's not a bad guy… maybe not a smart guy, but definitely not a bad guy.

Looking out her window, she found a view of the backyard. _Breathtakingly gorgeous…_ she thought, covering her mouth with her hand in awe.

"My mother and father left on short notice," came Ian's voice, surprising her and making her jump a bit. Her heart racing, she turned around to find Ian at her door in an Armani outfit, as usually. "So they will not be with us until dinner. However, would you like a tour of the estate today?"

She wanted to reject, but she was afraid that she might get lost. After all, this was to be her home for the next five months. _Oh that sounds funny to think… _She might as well know the place.

"Did you get Dan?" she asked quietly, grabbing a jacket off her bed.

Ian rolled his eyes. "I met him earlier. Our first stop: the game room. He's still in there, I'd assume."

Amy couldn't help but smile. _That's Dan alright… _Then she met Ian's eyes again and she gulped.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm.

She turned it down, however, and walked past him with a sheepish smile. He sighed and followed behind her.

"So, are we going to the game room?" she asked quietly, not looking at him but her surroundings.

He shook his head.

She frowned. "But you said-"

"I said your brother and mine's first stop was the game room, but not _ours_. No, your tour will be better," he answered, leading her down the extravagant hallway.

Amy bit her lip down softly.

He turned to her and amusement was somewhere deep in his eyes. Hard to find, but there. "Don't do that – you'll make your lips bleed."

She blushed, taking her teeth of her bottom lip. She didn't like the fact that Ian had even bothered looking at her lips…

He heard this thought, for it was loud with embarrassment. He held back a smirk.

"Where are we going?" she asked after a minute of awkward silence; awkward for her, at least.

"The garden," he answered, pushing back to French doors.

A fresh scent invaded their senses, but Amy took it in pleasantly. _This feels… great. It's like a beautiful Spring day… in the middle of the fall. But that makes no sense – where are we?_

"Where are we?" she spoke her thoughts.

"I just said the garden," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Were you not listening?" He knew this to be untrue, but it is best to be a fool in some cases. Though Ian liked for those cases to be rare – he certainly was no fool.

"I mean," she said, now blushing. "Where is your house located?"

"I cannot release that information," he answered. It was dangerous for their location to be revealed – after all, if enemies learned of this, they were sure to be invaded.

The reply made Amy frown though. "But we _are_ near Brooklyn, right?"

Ian scoffed. "With all the buildings and pollution in Brooklyn, and the surroundings here, do you honestly think we are?"

Amy blushed again. She hated how he could do that to her – make her feel so foolish. "But, Dan and I have school today!" Truth be told, however, was that for the first time, Amy didn't want to go to school. School used to be her sanctuary – somewhere to be away from all the drama that goes on at home. But here… here it was peaceful. Peaceful and beautiful – her own private heaven. It was just a misfortune that it happened to be the Kabra's estate. And an even bigger misfortune that Ian was there as well.

"Our private tutors will educate you," Ian said with a wave of his hand. "Do not worry, Amy. Public schools education is nothing compared to our tutors'."

Amy honestly couldn't find the strength to disagree. So she didn't. "Well, okay…"

"Shall we continue the tour?" he asked.

She nodded. For the rest of the tour, Ian formally told her where everything was. From the fountains to the pool, everything was truly beautiful. After the tour, Amy snuck off though. Ian wasn't too happy about this… in fact, for the remainder of the hour, he stayed in the theater, watching a 90210 re-run until his sister kicked him out.

Amy had snuck off to the garden once more, with a book in her hand. _Lord of the Flies. _She was re-reading it, for it was one of her favorites. The symbolism is one of her favorite things to analyze in the book, along with the characterization.

As she read to herself out loud quietly, she heard chirping. A melodious chirping… She looked up to see a beautiful bird unlike one she's ever seen. It was black and white – black with white spots or white with black spots. She looked closely. It seemed like it was black with white spots. It was, thought, beautiful. It looked innocent, besides its beady eyes. She honestly couldn't look away. _Oh how I wish I could sketch! Then I could sketch this beautiful bird!_

The bird stayed under her eye for a second before flying off. She set the book down and watched it roam freely, circling above her. Suddenly, she had the urge to name it. It didn't seem right – naming a free animal as if it was hers- but she couldn't help it. So quietly, she whispered, "C.H. Clouded Harmony."

"What kind of name is that?" came a new voice – Dan.

"You're finally out of the game room?" she asked, looking at her brother now.

He shrugged. "I was looking for the bathroom, then I found myself here."

She shook her head.

"Anyway, why are you naming a bird Clouded Harmony? That's so weird, even for you," he said, rolling his eyes.

She rolled her eyes in turn. "Clouded, as in tainted, and Harmony, as in pure. She, or he, is two colors: black and white. They stand for a lot, but they also stand for impurity and purity. Ironic how the bird is both, but that's nature. And thus, I named it C.H. So don't be such a jerk about it."

Dan shrugged. "I gotta pee. See ya." And he walked off, back into the house.

Amy rolled her eyes and looked up to see the bird but it wasn't there. She sighed and closed her book, then leaned on her elbows as she watched the sky.

"Having fun?"

"Indeed I am," she replied quietly.

"Yes…" Ian said, looking at her strangely. "Well, Natalie and I are about to have lunch. Would you care to join us?"

Amy nodded. She was quite hungry – she hadn't eaten the night before. "What are we having?"

"What would you like?" he offered, looking at her.

She blushed when he looked at her, but answered, "I, uh, have a craving for Italian…"

Ian chuckled. It wasn't a harsh chuckle either – which was what caught Amy off guard.

"I'll go tell Chef Divonte, if you'd like," he offered, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to impose-"

"You wouldn't be – we're eating Italian anyway," he interrupted, grinning.

"Then why would you…" she trailed off, confused.

He shrugged. "It was a gesture."

She blushed furiously. She hated how he made her feel like a fool.

Ian heard this wild thought, and for a miraculous moment, he actually felt guilty for his doing. And it's a known fact that it takes a lot to make Ian Kabra feel guilty about his actions – a lot. He even remembers the day he first shot a bird – he watched it get hit, its wings jerking about as it fell to the hard floor below. He was only seven, but he watched it mercilessly. He was trained and raised to be unfeeling and power hungry; not to feel bad about hurting a girl's feeling. Even if the girl intrigued him a lot more than he'd like…

He opened his mouth, ready to apologize, but no words came out. They didn't seem able to.

He watched as Amy watched him, frowning and blushing at the same time. When he caught her stare, it made her blush even harder.

"Sorry," she mumbled, walking off.

At the dining hall, Dan was there… and so was Natalie. Natalie was staring at Dan in disgust. The funny part is that they hadn't started eating yet. Natalie was just purely disgusted at the sight of Dan. He stuck his tongue out at her and she scoffed, turning away.

Amy entered, sitting beside Dan.

"How was your boring bird?" he asked, leaning against the table on his elbow.

She hit his elbow off, scowling. "It's impolite to put your elbow on the table," she hissed to him.

"Well, I'm not exactly polite," he admitted, placing his elbow back in the same spot.

She sighed, crossing her arms.

Then, as if on cue, two very important people walked into the dining hall. Two very important, and very scary people.

Ian and Natalie's parents.

* * *

**A/N:** Even though storyteller221 has boosted the time available to complete the fabulous stories competing, I have yet to come to a complete knowing if I can complete this story by then. My homework has suddenly increased and all, but hopefully that's just this week.

I also want this story to be longer than a couple of chapters, because I don't want to rush it. So, if I can make the contest is still undecided. I'll have news by the end of next week hopefully… When I might watch the Percy Jackson movie! AH! Cough, sorry… got off track there. But I love the series : ) I'd be done with the last… if it wasn't for homework. Gr…

Also, this story was going to be shorter, like I said, and cut into months for chapters. But I found it way too hard to write that much… yeah, I get distracted easily.

Anyway, on another note, I'd like to draw attention to an interesting review posted by anonymous. He/She really is anonymous, by the way xD

He/She took a totally wild guess at what would happen in the book – and I LOVED it! I have to admit that that never came up in my mind, and I won't say whether or not I will use it because I'm not going to spoil it : ) But I honestly loved that review!

So, I'd like to know… what do you think will happen? Go ahead and answer that in a review please! I mean, I love your guys' reviews, but I'd like to hear more than "I love it!" or "please update soon!". I mean, they're sweet gestures… but I like to know what's wrong with my story or what you guys think will happen! Creativity is the answer! : )

Anyway, bye bye! Until next chapter!

P.S. Oh look… Hamilton's in this chapter… hmm… curious anyone? He isn't gone just yet… And sorry this chapter isn't as long as I'd like it to be... I just wanted to get something out before you guys got bored xD


	3. Kabra Poison

**Kabra Poison**

**-**

_"Parents. They're deadly and ruthless. Yet you gotta love them.-_

_-_

Amy remembered the first time she met Ian and Natalie's mother, Isabel Kabra. She had tried to kill her, after all.

The scene was all too clear, replaying in her mind. She had wanted information from Amy… or else she'd be swimming with the fishies – or more specifically, the sharks. Then Hamilton, out of nowhere, came and rescued her. Hamilton was the knight – not Ian.

And yet, here she is, eating dinner with the whole family. She could feel a shiver run through her

"What _are_ they wearing?" Mrs. Kabra asked, obviously astonished at their outfits.

"Jeans?" Dan muttered, rolling his eyes.

"No manners," Mr. Kabra hissed at the boy.

Amy wanted so badly to hiss back at the Cobra, but she didn't. No, she was too paralyzed at their mere appearance to say a word. After all, she thought that Ian and Natalie's parents were never around. _There must be a reason why they're here now,_ Amy thought.

"They need to be out of those clothes – now," Mrs. Kabra demanded. "I cannot eat while they look like mere regulars! How boring! And they are already dull enough."

"Mother," Ian said, frowning.

Amy was a bit surprised to see Ian object to his mother's thoughts, but she did remember that when Isabel was threatening her, Ian did want to object and help. But he didn't. And that's the point.

"Go," Mr. Kabra snapped. "Get Mary and Kingsley."

"Yes, Father," Natalie said, with a somewhat dejected attitude.

Amy was, again, surprised at how their parents treated them. She didn't expect any better, she admitted, but still… they act as if they're just part of the staff, except a bit better.

The maid and butler brought two outfits – one for Amy and one for Ian – to their rooms.

Amy reentered the dining hall, taking Ian's breath away and making Amy blush. _As if I needed that,_ she thought. She wore a dark blue summer dress that had black and white flower traces. They even brought up jewelry for her, but she stuck to the jade necklace that Grace left for her. They'd brought up two pairs of shoes for her to wear – dark blue flats and dark blue heels – but Amy wore the flats. She wasn't used to wearing dresses – she prefers casual and comfortable jeans – but she felt flattering. _For the first time in my life._

Dan stumbled in after Amy, fixing his red tie. "Stupid suit," he muttered under his breath. Mr. Kabra looked at him with distaste. They had brought up a black, silk suit for him with formal, black shoes. Dan had fought with the butler for about five minutes before reluctantly putting it on. He shuffled his way to his seat beside Amy.

He stared at her for a second.

"What?" she asked, frowning.

"You're like… Natalie. Girly," he said, shuddering.

Amy's frown deepened, but she couldn't disagree. "Well," she countered. "You could be Ian's long lost brother in that."

He flinched.

"So… Cahills," Mr. Kabra started. "We've never actually met."

Amy nodded mutely and Dan didn't show any reply.

"But I've heard much about you two. My children's worst enemies during the hunt," he said, looking at his children disapprovingly.

Amy could've sworn she saw Natalie sink a little into her chair.

"Well, they won anyway," Dan snapped, glaring at the table.

"Only because of their connections," he objected. "You two had no money, connections, or even transportation, and yet you were the closest. It makes no sense, and yet it is."

Dan rolled his eyes, and Amy stayed quiet.

Mrs. Kabra turned her eyes to Amy now. Eyeing her critically, she slowly said, "So Amy… I see that Ian is still obsessed with you."

Amy looked away, blushing. Instead, Dan answered, "Oh, give it up! We know that Ian doesn't like her and that it was all a sham to get my sister into giving you our clues! Give it up! The hunt's over!"

"No yelling at the table," Mr. Kabra barked.

"You're telling me this?" Dan snapped back. "You're yelling!"

Mr. Kabra got up furiously, but Dan glared at him instead.

Ian, however, wasn't paying attention to them. He was watching Amy.

_Thanks a lot, Dan, _she was thinking, playing with the table cloth nervously. _Thanks for bringing up the whole Ian thing and thanks for making me feel like a fool – for the thousandth time! Man, and the worst part is that he's right there! He's probably agreeing with the whole thing, snickering about it under his breath. _

Ian flinched a bit at this, but did his best not to show it. _Untrue! _He thought. _And she's not the only one who's had her feelings used against her – my mother did the same to me. She discovered what happened between myself and her and decided to use it for "strategical advances". _

"Oh sit down," Mrs. Kabra told her husband, scowling. Then she turned to Dan. "And you – how dare you speak so rudely to us? If it weren't for us, you two would be put up for adoption without that silly aunt of yours!"

Before Dan could object or argue, the food was brought out on the expensive silverware.

It was like _Beauty and the Beast_'s "Be Our Guest" scene in the Disney movie. It was purely magical, to Amy, watching the servers lay out their food in front of them. She had never eaten like this before, and she was truly intrigued by it.

Ian watched her reaction closely, and Mrs. Kabra watched Ian's. Dan watched the food file in, his mouth watering, and Mr. Kabra looked at him with annoyance. Natalie just sat there, staring at her nails. To her, they were the most interesting things at the moment.

They ate in silence, munching down on the Italian delicacy.

"Delicious," Amy commented to one of the servants. The servant looked at her uneasily then hastily walked off. She frowned. "What did I say?"

Ian shrugged, dabbing his face with his napkin. "They're not used to compliments."

"Because they don't deserve them," Mr. Kabra snapped, rolling his eyes.

After dinner, Mrs. Kabra left the room and went to the master bedroom. Mr. Kabra went to his study.

Ian and Natalie went to one of their many living rooms, and Amy and Dan had nothing else to do but follow.

"Do you know how to play chess?" Ian asked Amy.

"Yes," she answered quietly, watching him as he set up the pieces.

"And what about checkers?"

"Fairly – but Dan's better than me."

"Really? Because Natalie is better than me at checkers as well," he said, gesturing to his sister who was picking up a book.

Dan rolled his eyes. "I'd beat her butt any day, anyway."

Natalie raised an eyebrow, putting the book down. "I doubt that, Daniel. How about a game?"

Dan smirked. "Easy. I'll be done in about a minute."

Natalie scoffed, setting up the board. "We'll see about that. But remember – Kabras never lose."

Now it was Dan's turn to scoff. "And neither do Cahills. Bring it on!"

They got their game started, and Amy watched with amusement.

Ian turned to her. "How about a game?"

She turned to him. "Of ch-checkers?"

"How about a more intellectual game – chess?" he asked, gesturing to the board.

She slowly put down the book she had grabbed before. "O-k..."

"Well, then, let's start," he said. "You can be first."

She picked up her white knight and moved it. The game went on, each move bringing someone closer to either victory or defeat. In the background, they could hear Dan mocking Natalie and vice versa.

"I WIN!" Natalie screamed in the background.

"Unfair!" Dan whined. "Rematch! I was going easy on you!"

"Oh puh-lease," she said, examining her nails. "I beat you easily."

"I saw you break out into a sweat!" he objected.

"Fine; rematch," she said, glaring at him as she set the pieces back up.

Ian and Amy, however, were deeply concentrating on the game.

_I should move…_

Ian could hear each of Amy's thoughts. He sometimes used this to his advantage, when he felt like he was losing, but not when he had the advantage. Finally, her king was trapped! One more move…

She sighed, leaning back in her seat and moved the knight, a useless move. "You win," she muttered.

He smirked victoriously, checkmating her. "Good game, however," he congratulated. "You were fairly close."

She sighed. "Obviously not close enough."

He wanted to badly to tell her that he cheated. He had never felt such guilt. But he didn't. He kept his mouth shut and shrugged.

"Next time, I guess," he reassured, standing up to stretch.

Amy turned to look at Dan; he was in deep concentration in checkers. She sighed. "I'm going to go up to my room now. Good night."

Ian frowned. _Could she really be this sad about a game? _"Are you sure you don't want a rematch?"

She shrugged. "No thanks. Good night, Dan."

Dan didn't even look up.

She walked out of the room and Ian sank back into his seat with a sigh.

"Smooth move," Natalie muttered, rolling her eyes as she moved her black piece.

Ian grunted angrily at his sister.

----

Amy dragged herself to her room and shut the door behind her. _How humiliating, _she thought. _Losing in front of Ian… man! _She scowled, throwing herself onto her bed. There, she found her cell phone.

She checked it. _Two missed messages. _She raised a curious eyebrow and opened them.

The first said:

You didn't reply, so I thought that you might be ignoring me. You aren't, are you?

She smiled at this. Then she read the second:

I guess you are… well, please reply! I really want to talk to you!!!!! : )

She blushed a bit, but then started composing a message:

Hi Hamilton. Sorry it took me so long to respond – I've been busy. How are you?

She sent the message and watched it load and get sent. She put her phone down and grabbed her book, but instead found only air. She groaned. _I forgot it downstairs! I'm an idiot!_ She thought about leaving it there… but she had the strongest urge to go get it.

With a reluctant sigh, she got up. Slowly, she left her room and walked downstairs. She tried to make as little sound as possible. _No need to pull attention to myself…_

"Are you insane?" she heard Mr. Kabra snap.

"No," came a weak reply. She couldn't make out the voice – it was too soft.

"Reading her mind! When you haven't fed for two weeks! You could've collapsed in front of her!" Mrs. Kabra snapped.

"Or worse!" Mr. Kabra added. "You could've fed on her on instinct!"

"I-"

"Go," Mr. Kabra snapped. "Go feed."

"On what?"

"The animals in the back!"

"But –"

"I don't care, Ian. Before you collapse right here!"

Then she could hear a door slam. She debated with herself whether to leave or not. Apparently, while frozen on the stairs, Natalie found her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding both harsh and tired.

"I-I forgot my b-book," she muttered, not looking into her dark brown and hypnotizing eyes.

"Well, hurry up," she snapped, pushing past her.

Amy quietly jogged down the stairs and grabbed her book. She raised an eyebrow at a picture she found as she walked back up the stairs.

A younger Ian and a younger Natalie. Even back then, they were dangerously gorgeous. Except… perhaps a bit more frightened. She examined Ian and smiled unknowingly. He didn't seem too bad at the time… maybe it was before he became malicious. She looked around but found no other pictures. In fact, this picture looked misplaced. It had no frame, just a picture.

She heard another door slam and quickly, she ran up the stairs and closed her door softly. She lay on her bed slowly, realizing that the smile wouldn't fade.

She fell asleep, that same smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: **why this chapter was quite useless :\ Oh well… it introduced the "lovely" Kabra parents. I honestly don't have a clue what Mr. Kabra's first name is… any help? Because I'm going to need his name too soon…

Uh, so yeah… the next chapter is in the making :) Huzzah! A new character in the next chapter too ;) Any guesses?

So anyway, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

As my friend once said,  
"Peace, love, and hippieness!"

- Another Artist


	4. A Deadly Flower

**A Deadly Flower**

-

"_As the flower blossoms, it gets bigger and bigger. In this case, so does its ego."_

_-_

Amy woke up when she felt a familiar vibrating on top of her stomach. She warily looked up and found her cell phone lying on top of her. _I've no idea when I put that there… but okay. _

It was just her alarm though, waking her up as if on a school day. But Ian said she wouldn't be going to school anymore. She shut off the alarm and yawned.

Tired, she got up and stretched. She took a quick shower and got ready, pulling on a pair of capris and a dark blue t-shirt. Then, she heard a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked quietly.

"Me, now open up," Dan said, pounding on the door.

She walked over to the door and opened it. "You're up. That's a miracle."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well I couldn't sleep. My bedroom's right over one of the kitchens and it's loud in there right now! Are they getting ready for a big party or something?"

Amy shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"Well, I'm hungry," he said, walking off.

Amy groaned, following behind as she closed her door. She caught up to her brother. "So did you win at checkers?"

He didn't answer but scowled.

She smiled a bit. "I take that as a no."

Dan exploded. "It was like she knew my every move! It was so freaky! And annoying!"

Amy laughed. "That's impossible, Dan. Obviously, you've been reading way too many comic book stuff."

He didn't reply. Dan came to the end of the stairs and stopped walking.

"What is it?" Amy asked, peeking over him.

And there she stood: a beautiful blonde with gold streaks and glistening honey eyes. She was so entrancing… almost like the first time she'd ever seen the Kabras.

"Ah, Amy, Dan, come down here!" Mr. Kabra ordered.

As they walked down, Ian and Natalie came into view. Ian was watching the blonde, and Amy felt herself flinch internally. He then suddenly turned to her and a small smile formed on his lips before quickly fading.

"These are the Liones… and this is Jasmine Lione," Mr. Kabra said, gesturing to the beautiful girl.

She flashed a smile at her, showing all her pearly-white teeth. "Hello."

"And these, Jasmine, are the Cahills… Amy and Dan," Mr. Kabra said, without as much proud as before.

"Hi," Amy muttered, meeting everyone's gaze, especially Jasmine and Ian's.

"H-H-H-," Dan stuttered, obviously hypnotized by the girl.

Rolling her eyes, she elbowed Dan in the gut. He snapped out of it and gazed down at the floor like Amy, blushing.

"Breakfast is being served in the dining hall," Mr. Kabra said, herding them along. "Let us go."

"Where's Mrs. Kabra?" Amy asked curiously to herself.

Ian replied, however. "… planning. No need to worry."

_I never said I was_, she thought but didn't say. Instead, she just walked ahead, ignoring Ian.

Ian frowned at this but immediately covered up when he saw Jasmine look his way curiously.

_Who is she? _she asked.

"No one," he said out loud.

_Are you sure…? _

"Yes," he scowled.

_How I wish I had your power right now…_

"I'm sure you do," he replied, walking off.

She followed behind. _If she is nothing, then what is she doing here?_

He didn't answer.

_Is she food or something?_

"No," he snapped, now looking mad.

_Then _what_?_

"None of your business," he hissed.

_Anything involving you is my business, and you know that._

He flinched, walking into the dining room.

Amy and Dan sat towards the end. Mr. Kabra at the end with another man and woman on his right side. Ian sat two seats away from his father on the right, with Jasmine in front of him and Natalie by him. The missing seat beside Mr. Kabra was Mrs. Kabra's seat.

"Oh stop sitting so far!" Natalie muttered. "Come closer."

"No thank you," Amy whispered.

"How rude," the stranger said, looking disapproving.

"Are these the peasants you were speaking of?" said the woman.

"Yes, the Cahills," Mr. Kabra said.

"Hard to believe they almost beat your children," the man said, shaking his head.

"Almost," Dan muttered.

The strangers turned to glare at him before going back to their conversation. The conversation that was about them yet spoken as if they weren't there.

Ian turned to glance at Amy, looking woeful. Jasmine noted this.

_Are you sure? _

He turned to look at her, his thought obviously asking "what?".

_She means nothing to you, and yet you look at her for more than five seconds. _

"So?" his next look said.

_She means something to you, but I have no idea what it is. I am to find out, though, Ian. I always do. _

Then, she cut off the link and turned to the adults speaking.

"So, where is Brian?" Mr. Kabra asked.

"Coming. He and his brother have come back from a hunt and agreed to come after. They should be here by this afternoon," the man said proudly.

"It will be nice to see them, indeed," Mr. Kabra agreed.

Then, a servant announced, "Mr. Brian and Mr. Gabriel Lione have arrived."

And behind him were two tall men, one a teenager Ian and Amy's age about, and another a full-grown man of twenty-one years.

"Sorry we're late," the older one said. The older one had hair like Jasmine's, and it was shaggy, cut right above his eyes. His eyes were like his sister's as well. He had on a riding suit, meaning he probably was riding a horse earlier.

"Yeah," the younger said. "Gabriel wouldn't stop hunting those birds!" He chuckled, his eyes glistening. He was probably Jasmine's twin, because he also looked just like her. His hair, however, was shorter than his brother's; it was cut very short, like in military style.

"Oh, it is not a problem," Mr. Kabra said. "In fact, you are earlier than expected. Do sit; we are about to eat breakfast."

They walked over and sat beside Jasmine.

Amy watched them curiously, and Ian caught this. He tried to control the strange emotion tossing inside of him.

"And who are the strangers?" the younger, Brian, asked.

"Amy and Dan Cahill," Mr. Kabra answered, obviously not that excited about talking about them.

"A pleasure to meet you," Gabriel told them from the other side of the table. "Scoot closer though! How are we to speak to you if you are so far away!" Gabriel and Brian laughed.

Amy quietly obeyed this time, dragging Dan as well. _It's so strange,_ she noticed, _how different the two families are. The two Liones boys are so outgoing, and yet the Kabra kids seem so… reserved. I guess the Liones are like that._

She was right. The Liones, like their powers of speaking through thoughts, are outgoing. They play jokes and laugh, ignoring reality. This usually stays in the male genes, and doesn't disappear until they get married. The woman are teasing, but not too overly. The Kabras, however, are reserved. They'd rather stay serious about business, and their powers help determine what their opponent is like.

"Well, I am Gabriel," the older boy said, grinning at Amy and Dan.

"And I am Brian," the younger boy said, matching his brother's grin.

"I'm Amy," she said quietly.

"Oh speak up!" Brian urged, still playful. "I cannot hear the words coming from your beautiful lips." The Liones also happen to be flirts.

Ian felt himself flare up, but immediately calmed himself down before his father or sister could notice. Mr. Kabra didn't, but Natalie did. She was sitting beside him and felt it the second it hit.

She looked at him and elbowed him, making him notice her. Quiet enough so that her father couldn't pick it up, she thought: _Jealous much?_

He glared at her. _No!_

She rolled her eyes. _Sure, sure, Ian._

He shook his head briefly. _I can't be. I don't harbor any feelings for the girl. _

Before Natalie could reply, a new, melodic voice interrupted: _What are you guys thinking? I can see you guys are talking to each other._

Ian groaned internally and Natalie shrugged at Jasmine. Jasmine watched them skeptically but didn't say anything out loud or mentally, much to Ian's relief.

Amy blushed at Brian's remark, and before she could reply again, Ian interrupted harshly.

"Her name's Amy," he snapped.

Brian and Gabriel looked at each other in amused surprise then at Ian. "Why, thank you Ian, for that piece of information. But I'm sure I asked the girl, not you."

Ian rolled his eyes at them. "Well I answered anyway, Brian."

Brian raised an eyebrow at him then looked at his brother.

_Maybe he's jeal-_

"I can hear you guys," Ian snapped, glaring at them.

Amy watched curiously, not understanding what either meant.

"Then maybe you can answer it for yourself then," Brian said, crossing his arms.

"Well, I'm not," he hissed.

"Really? Because I think-"

"Enough," the man, obviously their father, said. "We're here to visit our friends, the Kabras, not argue with them over a mere girl."

Amy frowned. _What girl? It's not me, right? _She blushed softly at the thought, looking down.

"Yes. We are here to speak of our children," Mr. Kabra announced, "And their upcoming engagement."

Amy blinked. _Did he say engagement?_

"Finally," Mr. Lione said, "Ian and Jasmine shall be united as a married couple this summer."

* * *

**A/N:** Blah, I found another multi-chapter story I was supposed to publish. The first chapter isn't done… and it might take some time to be done. When this story is done, I guess I'll publish that one next.

Well… yeah, there's the new character. That's kinda why Amy couldn't be a Lione anonymous… so yeah. And sorry it's short… I wanted to get it out before I leave.

Haha, and sorry I forgot Vikram's name… I is mucho stupid xD Also, I just got the 7th book indeed! The minute I read 's review, I was like "the 7th book is out?". So then I bought it and am about to read it. Haha, so lucky my parents understand my obsession with owning book and not renting them… I mean, seriously, I kinda hate renting books from libraries unless I'm really unsure about the book. Why? Because they're dirty xD Seriously, that's the reason why though. So yeah… now I have three books to read: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson book!), the 7th book of the 39 Clues, The Lovely Bones (watched the movie about two or three weeks ago… though I was supposed to see Legion)… and Fahrenheit 451 if you include reading class. So, uh, four books actually lol. Then a three books on my Sony Reader my mom bought… oh that's a lot :\

Uh, enough about my life xD So no update tomorrow probably or the rest of today because… well, I'm going to my cousin's house to sleep over then I have to go to a temple in San Diego. Mucho fun… kind of. Then I have homework. So yeah, probably no update tomorrow.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

Oh, and P.S to those who answered how old they thought I was in the Another Lovely Contest story: some of you guessed right, and most were close.

Okay, so bye!

"This is what I've succumbed to – waiting for Facebook posts and emails."  
- Another Artist


	5. Ian’s New Hobby: Breaking Hearts

**Ian's New Hobby: Breaking Hearts**

**-**

_"Sorry, but her heart belongs to Ian Kabra." –_ Dan Cahill, Book 7

_-_

Amy felt like throwing up right then. Just vomiting up everything in her already empty stomach onto their silk cloth that covered the large table.

"The minute Jasmine turns 18," Mr. Kabra said with a affirmative nod.

"Yes," Mr. Lione agreed swiftly, "the quicker, the better."

Amy found it harder and harder to keep it in.

"My wife is already making the preparations as we speak!" Mr. Kabra said, clasping his hand together.

Amy wanted so badly to run to her room and start packing. In fact, both Natalie and Ian could sense it. Vikram was too into the engagement to notice.

_Wow,_ Natalie thought to her brother.

_Hmm, _Ian muttered grumpily.

_She must really like you. _

_Shut up._

_Why? Don't you want that?_

Ian glared at her. _Of course, you idiot! But not now! Not when I'm about to get married to Jasmine! _

_She is rich though… unlike Amy, _Natalie thought thoughtfully.

_'t. Care._ Ian thought, his anger seeping out of his usually so-perfect mask.

_What is it now? _Jasmine's annoyed voice snapped into their conversation. _I know you guys are thinking about something! What is it!?_

"Nothing," Ian grinded out.

Jasmine crossed her arms and pouted. _You're being a real jerk right now, Ian._

"I know," he stated. "And I don't care."

The parents were too busy arranging plans for a marriage that won't be for another six months.

_At least I won't be here for it, _Amy thought dizzily. Somehow, the whole situation hurt her a lot more than she'd like.

Thankfully, before Amy actually threw up from all the planning, the food came out. Of course, the parents continued to speak as they ate, but at least Amy could now be distracted by the food enough to block them out.

After they ate, Amy, Ian, Dan, Natalie, Jasmine, Brian, and Gabriel left for the garden.

"This is where our wedding will be!" Jasmine gushed, grabbing onto Ian's arm happily.

He didn't shake her off, Amy noticed.

"Right," Ian muttered.

_At least he doesn't sound too happy about it… _Amy thought. _Then again, what am I saying? I shouldn't care if he's happy or not! He's marrying her! And why do I care? I mean, I shouldn't._

Then, as if to send her some secret message, the white and black bird reappeared, gracefully landing in front of her. She smiled softly, bending down to meet it. "Hi there C.H. Where've you been?" _I've been in need of a friend,_ she wanted to say, but didn't in fear of looking desperate in front of the Kabras and Liones. But it seemed to have read her mind anyway.

It tilted its head, then chirped. It looked at her for a while, then suddenly at Ian and Jasmine, and back at her. It looked like it took a moment of thought before flying off again.

Amy sighed. _There goes my only friend here: a beautiful bird. _

"We'll need to get rid of that bird," Jasmine muttered. "It's quite hideous."

Amy gaped but didn't say anything.

Ian, however, spoke for her. "Of course not, Jasmine. It's part of this garden, and if you want our wedding to be here, then it's not leaving."

Amy wanted to smile at this, but she only felt herself flinch a bit when he said "_our_ wedding". _Apparently,_ she thought, _he agrees to the decision._

He scowled when he read this thought, wanting so bad to disagree with her out loud and speak of his feelings. But he didn't.

"Whatever," Jasmine muttered. "The wedding's _still _going to be beautiful, even with that ugly bird flying around."

Amy slowly wandered off as the rest of them walked around. She discovered that Dan had as well when she found him playing basketball at one of their courts.

"When did you sneak off?" she asked, walking towards him.

"The moment we stepped foot outside," he said with a shrug. "Took you long enough to realize it."

She flushed. "Yeah, I guess I was distracted…"

"Of course you were," Dan said, rolling his eyes as he threw the ball at the hoop. It missed and rebounded. "Your lover boy, Ian, is getting married to the princess."

She blushed. "He's not my 'lover boy' and I couldn't care less that he is getting married."

"Yeah, that's why you looked like you were ready to upchuck during breakfast," Dan muttered.

She frowned. "Can I play?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Can you play?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Well, yeah," she mumbled. _Just not well, _she added mentally.

"Mhm," he said, rolling his eyes. "Fine. But just don't trip over your own two feet and onto me, 'kay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, grabbing the ball from him. She attempted to make a score, but it ended up missing by a foot.

"Wow," her brother laughed. "You do suck. It's a wonder how you passed Gym."

She grumbled to herself and threw the ball at her brother. They continued to shoot hoops, until they heard a tapping of the foot coming from their left.

There stood Gabriel and Brian, in their gorgeous glory and teasing self.

"Can we play?" Gabriel asked, grinning playfully.

"Yeah. It can be you and Gabriel," Brian said, pointing to Dan. "Then me and Amy."

Dan raised an eyebrow then shrugged. "Fine. But my sister sucks."

Amy blushed furiously, glaring at her brother and ignoring the Liones boys' gaze.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty good myself," Brian said with a shrug, smirking. He winked at Amy, making her look away.

"Well, then, let's go," Dan said, dribbling the ball.

The game went on, Gabriel and Dan in the lead. Brian and Amy were about four points behind – until Brian made a three-pointer.

"Wow, good job," Amy murmured, now feeling horrible. She hadn't made any points – it's all been Brian and his basketball skills.

"Thanks," he said, smiling.

_It's weird,_ she thought, _how they never looked tired, while Dan is panting with sweat._

Dan made a two-pointer, and then Gabriel a three-pointer. Brian, however, was fast. He caught up to them with two three-pointer and one one-pointer, beating them by one.

"The time's up," Brian announced, laughing happily. "Knew we'd win, Amy!" He ran over to her and hugged her.

She blushed, but hugged back. "Yeah, but it was all you."

Then, she heard someone clear their throat. It was Gabriel… who was gesturing to the two new guests, Ian and Jasmine.

Ian's arms were crossed, which made it hard for Jasmine to put hers around his, so her arms were dangling at her sides now.

"How was your game?" Jasmine asked, walking up to her brothers.

"Great," Brian answered, laughing as he pulled apart from Amy. "Wouldn't you agree?"

She nodded quietly, trying to hide her blush. She definitely hates how often she's had to do that so far in only three days.

"I suppose she does," Ian muttered, glaring at Brian.

"Man, what is your problem?" Gabriel asked, returning his glare. "All of a sudden, you're a hater!"

"I am not a hater, Gabriel," Ian stated. "But right now, I'm not exactly liking your brother."

"Why? Because he's flirting with Amy?" Gabriel snapped.

"Probably," Dan muttered.

"What does he mean 'probably'?" Jasmine hissed, looking at Ian. "I've asked you so many times Ian – WHO IS SHE?"

"Amy," Ian answered. "She's Amy. Anymore questions?" Ian's face was stone-cold.

"I mean," Jasmine said through gritted-teeth, "What is she to _you_?"

"I just answered this," Ian said, also wearing impatient. "She's Amy."

"And that's it?" Jasmine asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes," he answered calmly.

_That hurt a lot more than it should, _Amy thought, trying to not frown. But the funny feeling running through her bones made it hard to deny the pain there. "Right," Amy said quietly. "Well, now that that's settled, I'll be… uh, going." She walked off, aware of all the stares following her.

"Great," Dan muttered. "You hurt her. Do you know how much of her mourning I'm going to have to put up with?"

_None, _Ian thought. _Amy's not that kind of girl. _

Dan walked off, following his sister.

_Great. I've probably hurt her twice in one day. That is, if she has the feelings I think she has for me. _Ian felt conflicted with himself, shaking his head.

Jasmine watched Amy walk off, and watched Ian watch her. She didn't know whether to feel victorious or not. But she knew one thing: she was going to need to get rid of Amy to ensure her marriage with Ian.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah. I lied. Sorry… but yeah, xD apparently I can update! Well, I guess that's a good lie then.

Um, so I finished the seventh book last night in two hours! I loved it! Yeah, I have a oneshot that's going to be based on one of its part coming out later maybe.

So yeah… hope you enjoyed!

Sorry it's shorter than usual... but yeah. Sorry :(

"I can control time with my mind. You just don't know it."  
- Another Artist


	6. Let's Eat Lunch & Hope You're Not Dinner

**Let's Eat Lunch & Hope You're Not Dinner**

**-**

_"Breakfast is best, lunch is lovely, and dinner is delicious. Let's just hope you aren't the main entrée."_

- 

"You know, I came up here to be a good brother. But then you decide to be strong and let it go. What kind of girl are you?" Dan snapped, sitting on the chair beside Amy's bed.

"A normal one," she said, rolling her eyes. "But what is there to be strong about? It's not like I'm in pain or something."

"Sure," he said, rolling his eyes now. "So let's pretend that you _don't _like Ian. Are you going to let Jasmine walk all over you though?"

"Who said she was?" Amy snapped at her brother. "I'm in control of myself, Dan. Now turn on the TV – I'm sick of all this drama talk."

Dan obeyed, mostly because he agreed.

"No sport games on?!" Dan exclaimed, horrified. "Impossible!"

Amy shrugged, grabbing the remote away from him and turned to the news.

"Bor-ing!" Dan cried, slamming his head against the wall dramatically.

Amy ignored him. She found sanctuary in the news.

"I'm leaving," he muttered, getting up.

"See ya," Amy murmured, already into the news.

Dan left, but Natalie sauntered into Amy's room and sat where Dan was, watching Amy curiously

"So, you watch the news to mourn?"

Amy looked up at Natalie, a bit surprised. "I'm not mourning."

Natalie ignored this. "Because most girls would eat ice cream and watch sad sob stories. I mean, seriously, the news isn't the cliché way to mourn."

"I'm no cliché," Amy stated. "And again, I am _not_ mourning.

"Whatever," Natalie said, standing up. She walked out.

Amy sighed, shaking her head. She continued watching the news until she heard a knock on her door. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Ian," came the reply.

She didn't answer.

"Do you want to eat lunch with us?" Ian offered after a moment of silence.

"No thank you," she answered quietly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes," she said.

"Well, just come down if you want anything," Ian said, hesitant to walk off. He wanted so badly to comfort her.

"Thank you," she said after a moment of silence.

"You're welcome," he said slowly, taking a step back.

He heard her turn up the TV's volume.

_"Today, a boy and his dog have gone missing. This has allegedly happened somewhere between 2-3 in the afternoon as the boy was walking his dog…"_

"This is my sister's way of cooling down," Dan said, walking up behind him.

Ian turned around. "By watching how a boy disappeared? How morbid." He tried to look serene and calm, and definitely uncaring.

"That's Amy," Dan said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm going to go eat lunch," Ian muttered, leaving.

Dan followed after him. "You know," he said, "I used to hate you. In fact, I still hate you. But, my sister's feelings aren't mine… sadly."

"So?" Ian snapped.

"I'm just saying that she doesn't hate you," Dan said with a shrug, walking off.

"That's what you think," he muttered, following after him.

"It's what I know," Dan corrected.

They went outside to eat lunch in the garden.

Amy, inside her room, heard her stomach growl over her TV. _Dang… I hoped it would never come to this. _She got up slowly, turning off her TV.

She walked outside slowly, watching as they talked together.

"Hey, look, Amy's here!" Brian announced, grinning at her. He pulled out the seat beside him. "Sit here!"

She started walking over, and once she sat down, she felt her cell phone vibrate. She checked it under the table.

Amy, you replied! Sorry it took so long for me to reply, but my parents took away my phone for beating up a kid. I'm good, how are you?

She smiled and quickly replied.

I'm good. I guess you're still the same Hamilton I once knew :)

She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and looked up. Everyone was talking… except Ian. He looked troubled.

"Here, have a sandwich!" Brian said, planting a delicious tomato, chicken, and lettuce sandwich onto her plate.

"Thank you," she said quietly,

"No problem," Brian said, winking at her.

"So Amy," Jasmine said, staring at her curiously. "How long have you known the Kabras?"

"Um, almost four years," Amy answered quietly, nibbling on her sandwich.

"Wow, that's a long time," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, me and Dan have known them longer than that, but we've never actually spoken with them until then," she explained.

"Interesting," Jasmine said, grinning a bit.

"Sorry," Brian whispered to Amy, "My sister can be freaky."

Jasmine scowled at him.

Dan said to Brian, "I know the feeling."

Amy frowned at her brother. She continued to nibble on her sandwich until her phone vibrated, jolting her away from her previous numbness.

It was a text message from Hamilton.

What other Hamilton could I be? :) & I hope you're still the same Amy

She smiled at this and replied:

What other Amy is there? ;)

She blushed after she sent the message, thinking about how he might interpret the winking smiley. _Man, Amy! Why'd you have to send it! Now he's going to think you like him!_

And the truth was the she didn't. She loved Hamilton like a protective older brother, but she couldn't see herself in his arms. Actually, when she tried imagining it, another face came to mind: Ian's. She blushed even harder, looking down. She put her phone away and continued to quietly eat.

Ian didn't catch that thought, but Natalie did. She even did a Kabra smirk.

_Seems like Amy likes Ian a lot more than she'll let on… _

Ian, who was seated by his sister, could hear the thought clearly.

_What are you talking about? _His eyebrows furrowed in frustration and annoyance.

She stared at him, annoyed despite her cool outer expression. _And you call me dumb. She was just imagining –_

_There you go again! _Jasmine interrupted, her face scrunched up, looking annoyed as well. _What are you guys talking about?! I have the right to know!_

Ian scowled, and didn't reply. Neither did Natalie. This frustrated Jasmine even more. But instead of keeping their conversation between thoughts, she exclaimed, "I don't get it! What's so secretive about you two!" She threw her arms up in exasperation.

"Stop being so dramatic," Ian scolded.

Jasmine glared at him. "Then you tell me what's going on! You've never acted like this before, Ian! Not until _she_ arrived." She pointed accusingly at Amy, who was trying very hard not to look interested. But her blush gave it away.

"Oh, Ian always acts this way," Natalie answered, waving off the subject. "You're just too spoiled to notice, dear Jasmine."

"Maybe he's like that to you," Jasmine hissed. "But not to me! I'm his bride-to-be! It's been set in stone since we both turned six!"

_Wow,_ Amy thought. _For twelve years, they've been engaged. That makes me feel even worse… kind of. I just wish he had told me sooner, before I started lik---- what am I saying? I don't like Ian! I _can't _like Ian! So let. It. Go, Amy! _

_Told you, _Natalie thought after Amy finished her inner conflict.

_That she doesn't it like me? _Ian hissed, looking aggravated.

_My God, you're blind! She likes you, but is denying it! It's a technique most teenage girls do – deny it. They think it'll make the problem go away – they're wrong, obviously._

_You read too many teen magazines. I'm telling mother to cancel those,_ Ian thought, rolling his eyes.

Natalie didn't reply, or at least didn't think of anything for him to hear. No – but she responded out loud.

"Amy, I would like to ask you something," Natalie said, standing up as she put her napkin down.

Ian's eyes widened as he realized what Natalie was about to ask.

"Do you li-"

Ian, to everyone's surprise, even his own, tackled his sister.

"My dress!" Natalie screamed, pushing her brother away. "It's got g-grass stains! I'm going to KILL YOU Ian!" She stormed off into the house to change.

Ian got up, brushing off his expensive outfit. _That was uncalled for_, he thought to himself._ So what I did was the same._

"What was that?" Jasmine asked once he sat back down, analyzing him critically.

"Oh, nothing. I thought I saw a bee on her, so I had to make sure it wouldn't get her. Anything for my dear sister, after all," he said, returning back to his formal self.

Amy frowned. _But I've seen them fight all the time… he wouldn't tackle her just to save her from a bee. More like save her from saying something… and what was she going to ask me?_

_Girl is smarter than I hoped for, _Ian thought, reading her thoughts with a mental sigh. _I didn't expect to fool her anyway._

"Well, I'm full," she announced quietly, standing up. "I will see you guys at dinner." She walked off quietly, barely making a noise except for her light footsteps.

_There goes another chance, _Dan thought, shaking his head. 

_-_

At dinner, Brian watched Amy very closely. His eyes looked a bit more dilated than before, but Amy didn't notice.

As Amy walked out to the garden to watch the stars, he followed. She looked behind to see who it was and was relieved to find only Brian.

"Hey," she said quietly, sitting on the grass.

"Hey," he replied, sitting beside her.

After a moment of silence, he said, "What are you doing out here?"

"Watching the stars and the moon – nature is quite beautiful," she whispered, a smile forming on her lips.

"Hmm," he said, looking at her hungrily.

She turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm hungry," he replied on instinct.

"But we just ate," she said, trying to laugh as if it was funny. But instead, she felt scared – unreasonably scared.

"Let's just say I'm not hungry for food," he whispered, moving closer.

"What?" she asked, now afraid more than she'd ever been at the Kabra estate.

He placed on hand on her hand, and she felt herself melt away, tired and dizzy.

_What's going on…? _

* * *

**A/N: **What a crappy chapter :( But I wanted to get one out. Yeah, there's that cliffhanger and all, so shall we cue the dramatic music? Why yes, we shall! Dun, dun, dun, _dun._

asked why Ian is getting married at the age of 14… actually, Ian's not 14 anymore. Like said in the first chapter, Amy is 17, and Ian, though never said, is 18. Yeah, sorry for the confusion.

I shall now have Questions of the Chapter, meaning the one question from the previous chapter's review that intrigues me the most and that I feel the urge to share, either because I'm bored or in case you guys are wondering about the same thing. That, up there, is the Question of the Chapter though.

And I wanna tell you guys why I don't respond to your reviews: because I hate making errors. I check all reviews on my iPod, and sometimes respond… but after so many errors and backspacing, I get annoyed. So I tend to answer questions I read on my Author's Note instead. But I really would like to respond to each review – if I didn't hate typing on my iPod!

Dan was a bit OOC after lunch with that though, right? Hmm, no more of those… Uh, please point out any OOC moments – I hate those. And don't ignore them all because you want Ian to be all nice and mushy! IAN is NOT MUSHY! He's a KABRA!

K – kabbalistic  
A – always perfect  
B – being snobby  
R – rule-breakers  
A – and definitely not mushy!

Is "kabbalistic" a word? I don't know, it might be… my dictionary on my iPod might be retarded though. It says it means "having a secret or hidden meaning"… yeah, that matches this story.

Anyway, so pretty-please point out OOC moment, grammar mistakes, and all that jazz :)

And mucho gracias for your reviews and feedback! 53 reviews – 5 chapters! O-M-G, you guys do care :) Makes me happy to hear from the readers!

"Jack and Jill went up the hill, you know? You know why? To fetch a pail of water…"  
- Another Artist

P.S. Sorry for the long author's note :) But girls my age have a problem with talking – we talk too much.


	7. Dan Saves the Day! Or At Least He Thinks

**Dan Saves the Day! Or At Least He Thinks So…**

_-_

_"I wish I could be a child once more. After all, it's the only time you can do silly things and look adorable while doing so. Nowadays, I just get frowned at or stared at."_

**-  
**

_Should've never invited Amy… especially with Jasmine and her brothers! Her brothers… ugh, must they flirt with every female being them meet? _Ian thought to himself as he took his every night scroll in the backyard.

Then, he heard a faint panting noise. Curious, he followed it.

"Brian?" he asked, squinting through the darkness.

"Oh no," he heard him whisper. Then he saw a limp figure in his arms. Ian tried to make it out, but the moment he saw the reddish-blonde hair on her body, he felt himself become numb.

"What did you do?" he whispered, trying to keep his anger and shock within himself.

"I-I don't know," Brian said, shocked himself. "I remember that I was so hungry… and that her energy was so strong. I guess I must've found her out her and…" He looked at her.

"You idiot!" Ian hissed. "We have a freakin' barn house out near the forests so we could feed on animals! Not on girls!" He bent over to look at Amy. She looked as if she was peacefully sleeping… except her face was paler than usual.

"I can help her!" Brian insisted, putting her down on the wet grass.

"No!" Ian roared, now angrier than ever. He definitely didn't want Brian touching her again. "Just go! And don't tell anyone!"

Brian, reluctantly and hesitantly, walked off, watching them.

"Please wake up," he muttered, checking for a heartbeat. There was one, but it was faint. So very faint…

_This is going to kill my energy… _he warned himself as an idea popped into his head. _But I need to do it… I can't lose her. Not like this, and not because of him._

He sighed and put a hand over hers, and very slowly, he leaned down to press his lips to her forehead. He felt the tingles run through him, and it took everything to hold it back. Slowly, he transferred his energy to her. He felt himself weaken bits by bits.

_Must feed after… _he told himself wearily.

`The color returned to her skin and she lay there, breathing normally. He slowly sat up and examined her. He traced his finger along her jaw line, unable to help the smile crawling onto his face. He slowly sat up, staggering from his lost of energy. Sending one last longing look at her, he limped into the forest behind their estate and disappeared into the trees.

-

Amy awoke, utterly confused.

"What…?" she asked, frowning as she looked around. "Where- Where am I?"

"Whoah," Dan said, walking up to his sister. "Talk about tree-hugger, sleeping out here. Or maybe grass-hugger… whatever."

"I have no idea how I even got here," she said, glancing at her brother.

"Freaky," Dan muttered, not really interested. "Well, I'm going to go eat." And, unsurprisingly, he walked off back into the house.

Amy sighed. If only her brother could act serious for once in his life…

She clumsily got up, stretching. She looks around, trying to find a reason or explanation as to why she's there. She can't find any.

Then she sees it. A handkerchief with the initials I. K. on them.

_I.K.? Ian Kabra? No way… no way… _she thinks to herself, gently picking it up. _Maybe it's a mistake. After all, who carries around a handker… _Then she remembers seeing one in Ian's front chest pocket. _Oh… I guess they do. But why would Ian –_

"Are you coming?" Dan snapped from indoors, looking impatient.

Amy jumped a bit, surprised. She thought Dan had left without her. She quickly stuffed the handkerchief into her pocket and nodded at her brother.

They walked to the dining hall, and the whole time Amy was freaking out.

_Oh no! I look like a mess! I haven't brushed my teeth! Or showered! Or even washed my face! I probably look like a servant! And as if they already didn't hate me! _She thought frantically to herself. She tried combing her hand through her hair, but it got tangled halfway through, frustrating her even more. Desperate to look better, she quickly sneaked off to her room. On her way, she bumped into a familiar face.

"Brian?"

"Amy?" he asked, surprised. He looked down at her, examining her.

Amy blushed. She thought he was surprised at how untidy she looked. "Y-Yeah. I was j-just going back to my room."

He nodded, snapping out of his daze. "Right, well, then, uh, off you go."

She ducked, and walked off, her hair covering her face as she ran slash walked back to her room as an attempt to escape embarrassment. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth, then changed into a new pair of clothes. She blew-dried her hair for about five minutes before getting frustrated and tying it into a messy braid.

_I'm no princess, _she admits thoughtfully, _but it's better than before. _

She ran down to the dining hall, where everyone now was. She was so embarrassed as all eyes were on her and her messy hair. Her head was ducked as she walked to her brother who was munching away.

_Wow… the girl was in a rush to impress. And still didn't achieve it! _Jasmine thought gaily to Ian and Natalie.

Natalie smirked a bit at this but didn't reply.

Ian scowled. _Whatever, Jasmine, _he thought. Of course, she didn't hear. He glanced over at her but couldn't glance away. _She's beautiful… _

Natalie looked at him, an eyebrow raised. _Lovebug, dear brother? Why, I could hear you all last night when you came to your room! You kissed her! And the idiot Brian is to blame!_

Ian glared at his sister, finally looking away from Amy. _Oh shut up. I had to. Either that or let her wither away into a zombie. Then what would mum and father say?_

Natalie rolled her eyes. _Excuses. And don't exaggerate – I know that in her condition, she would have merely been unusually tired for a couple of days. You caught him just in time. Face it – you _wanted _to kiss her. _

Ian wanted to hiss at her sister, but didn't. Instead, he replied, _I will not admit to a lie. After all, why would I want to kiss… _His thought drifted away as he thought of her again.

Natalie looked astonished now. Ian never lost track of his thoughts! He was much too organized! _Sure, sure, dear brother. But I know, for sure, that your feelings for the girl aren't feeling that a _friend_ would have._

Ian sighed, not replying. He knew it was all too true. Instead, he started eating his food slowly, trying to avoid eye contact with Jasmine and trying not to glance over in Amy's direction.

Meanwhile, Amy stiffened as she realized how quiet it was, besides the chat between the parents. She glanced over shyly at the others, Ian in particularly, before quickly looking back and nibbling at her food.

_Should I tell him about the handkerchief? Maybe not… what if he thinks I stole it her something? As if I was stalking him! _she blushed at the thought. _Well, then I guess I'll have to keep my thoughts to my-_

"What's this?" Dan asked, grabbing out the handkerchief and interrupting her thoughts.

Blushing, she quickly grabbed it and held it under the table, where no one could see it. She glanced around and made sure that no one had noticed them. No one did. But Ian and Natalie looked deep in thought…

"Well? What is it?" Dan demanded, stubborn as usual.

She rolled her eyes at him and put a finger to her lips as a gesture for him to quiet down.

"Why?" he snapped, getting more impatient. "What is it, Amy?"

She groaned internally. "I'll tell you later," she whispered, before going back to eating her food.

"But why? I want to know wha-" Dan was interrupted as Amy clamped her hand over his mouth and glared at him.

"Shut up," she ordered. "Or I'll throw all your ninja stuff down the bond."

His eyes widened then narrowed down at her. He mumbled something that sounded like a "fine" and crossed his arms.

She grinned victoriously and went back to eating.

-

After breakfast, the Liones and Kabras played some golf. Bored out of their minds, Amy and Dan left.

"So are you going to tell me what was in your pocket?" Dan snapped.

Amy sighed and nodded, taking it out.

"What is that? A cloth?" he asked, examining it.

"A handkerchief," she said, rolling her eyes.

"How prehistoric," he replied, looking uninterested. Then, he spots the initials. "So who's I.K.?"

"I don't know," Amy lied quickly. She can't tell him who it might belong to! He'd go off and run his mouth and she'd be embarrassed out of her mind!

"Darn," he muttered. "Well, where did you find it?'

"In the garden," she answered slowly, trying not to give any hints.

"And you don't know who it belongs to?" he asked, now looking interested.

"No… why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because I've always wanted to be a detective!" he announced, grinning. "And this will be my first case." He grabbed the handkerchief and examined it. "Now all I need is a magnifying glass and a brown coat."

Amy gaped. "B-But I thought you wanted to be a ninja!" she whined, snatching the handkerchief away from him.

"Yeah, but right now, I need to be a detective. Now, I am off to find clues!" he ran out of the door.

Amy watched him, her feet anchored to the floor. _I'm doomed… and it's all because my brother has crazy dreams. Well, goodbye my life.

* * *

_

**A/N: **er, um, hi? Sorry… homework and tests… wow. It's a conspiracy, I swear. And for some reason, this chapter was so hard to finish :( Please point out any mistakes, grammatical, spelling, or character wise.

QUESTIONS:  
**Are they vampires? - TrueJackVP408 **  
Not really… maybe, kind of… well, they live off of energy, not blood. So, uh, energy vampires? I don't know…  
**Does Hamilton like Amy? – TrueJackVP408  
**I haven't a clue :) Well, originally, it was going to be a love triangle and all, but then I couldn't find a way to get Hamilton, actually in person, into the story. So, yeah…  
**Is Brian going to rape Amy? :( – amfabulous  
**I honestly loved this question. It made me laugh – no offence. But you said it so seriously that I wanted to crack up! Uh, obviously from this chapter, it's a no. And this is K+, so… yeah. And while I'm on that topic, I'd like to say that I don't write that graphic stuff… like, I think it was a review for Apology Not Accepted, but someone asked me to write a "lemon" scene – and I honestly was appalled. I don't write that stuff, and if you like that stuff, then please read something else. I will never write that – it's definitely not age appropriate :( I barely even describe kisses!  
**Will you update? – Lapulta  
**This isn't story related… but it is one of the hardest question to answer, surprisingly. Why? Because it all depends on my homework, if the dang wi-fi is being annoying or something, if I can finish the chapter, and if I get temporary writer's block. So, yeah…

And from now on, my author's notes will only be on updates and questions – I hate boring you guys with my life :)

And lots of love you guys! I got a lot of feedback last chapter, and that was awesome :) Thanks!

"You know the show _Go Diego Go!_? Well, if you space it out, it says Go Die Go Go." – Justina, mi prima (cousin)  
"Subliminal messaging!" – Me  
- Another Artist

**P.S. **Sorry its short :( I just wanted to get something out before you guys forgot or something.

**P.P.S.** And to those who entered my Another Lovely Contest, I'm going to read your stories! I've just been so busy, but I will! Probably this weekend!


	8. Fun in the Sun

**Fun in the Sun**

_"Let's throw away all our cares and go to a rave."_**  
**

The rest of the day was spent as the following:

Dan continued to "hunt" for clues. And no pun is intended.

Amy continued to hide out in her room with her fingers crossed, hoping that her brother wouldn't figure it out.

Jasmine continued to act suspicious of Ian and his behavior.

Ian continued to ignore Jasmine's suspiciousness and worried about Amy.

Brian felt guilty about the whole incident.

And Gabriel and Natalie were completely oblivious to this all. Actually, Brian didn't have a clue what was happening, and Natalie really didn't care much for it.

Ian, not one to keep quiet, decided to speak to Amy. He walked up to her room and was about to knock when he began to feel his stomach clench. How could it be? Is it possible that Ian Kabra could be nervous? And about a girl? Impossible! But the butterflies floating around in his stomach making him anxious were proof enough.

Ian Kabra was nervous.

Slowly, he knocked on her door. At first, it was barely audible. Amy didn't hear, seeing as she was watching TV with the volume blaring. So he tried again, knocking a bit louder. Again, she didn't hear. Getting frustrated, he knocked loudly on the door.

She heard. She assumed it was Dan, who would hopefully be giving up, so she walked over to the door and opened it. Once she saw it was not Dan, but Ian, she immediately closed it.

_Talk about rejection_, he thought, shocked. Slowly, he knocked again.

And she opened the door, very slowly, peeking out. "Y-Yes?"

"Want to talk?" he offered, not knowing what else to say.

"Sure," she replied quietly, opening the door wide to let him in. But she wished she didn't have to. She was in no mood to talk to Ian.

"Actually," he said, not stepping in. "How about we talk in the garden?"

"Uh, sure," she mumbles, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind them.

He watched her intently, as she stared at him then looked down, blushing. _Silly girl – blushing for no reason_, he thought. Then he realized why – they were standing no more than a foot away from each other, their faces so close that if he were to bend just a little, his nose would touch her forehead. Flushing, he stepped back. Another first for Ian Kabra.

He cleared his throat and looked away. This only made Amy blush even deeper. "We should, uh, go."

She nodded, walking off.

He scowled at himself and followed after her.

"So, I know that this must be very overwhelming," Ian said, trying to start a conversation.

She nodded.

He tried to continue to get words out of her. "After all, it'd be strange for me to have my once-enemies take me in." He chuckled at the thought. "But when would that ever happen?" He peeked over at her to notice that she didn't seem too into the conversation. He sighed. _This is going to be harder than I thought… most girls giggle, flirt, or at least _talk _when I speak to them. But with Amy, I don't even get a glance. _"Do you like it here, at least?" he asked, desperate for conservation.

"Yes," she replied quietly.

Soon they stepped out of the mansion and out into the sun. Amy felt a smile spread across her skin as the sun hugged her skin. It felt so good after being in her cold room for so long. She wanted to spread her arms out and dance… but she glanced at Ian and decided it wouldn't be that smart.

"I assume you'd like to twirl in the sun," he said with a wry smile, reading her thoughts.

She blushed and looked down, nodding curtly.

He laughed. "Who's stopping you?"

She shook her head though. "It-It's okay."

His laughter died away and a frown replaced it. _Difficult girl! I am allowing her to dance! So why doesn't she? _He sighed. _I guess I'll have to make the first move. _He cleared his throat and turned to face her. She was looking down at her shoes, as if they had suddenly become immensely interesting. "Amy?"

She glanced up with her eyes and quickly looked back down, her ears red. "Y-Yes, Ian?"

"Would you care to dance?" he asked, smiling gently at her.

She couldn't help the smile sneaking into her features. _This definitely isn't Ian Kabra. Ian Kabra laughs when I dance… _So she shook her head and continued walking.

He let out a deep breath and followed her, not very pleased. "Is there a reason for the rejection?"

She shrugged, not wanting to say anything because she was sure that she'd stutter and look like a fool I front of him.

They walked and walked, and eventually found themselves at the pool.

_They have a pool? Why didn't I see this earlier? _She asked herself. _Man their backyard is huge… _

She stared at the crystal clear water and bent on her knees to touch it. It was cool, but not too cold. The perfect water for this kind of weather. She let out a regretful sigh.

"What?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

"I, er, kinda forgot my swimsuit," she replied, shaking her head.

"I can lend you one," he offered. Maybe swimming would get them to actually talk…

She glanced up, a bit surprised.

He flushed. "I mean, my sister can. I'm pretty sure you can fit something of hers, regardless of the age difference. We can go swimming then."

She smiled a bit and nodded. "Okay. Thanks." She followed him back into the house.

-

_What was that girl thinking?! _Amy thought as she put on the swimsuit. _Who would, in their right mind, wear this! _Amy wore a two-piece swimsuit that was simply yellow with no design, but Amy was used to single pieces. _Oh I can't go out looking like this!... but the water looked so perfect! _Amy let out a groan and pulled a towel over her. _Maybe no one will see anyway. _

She quickly ran from their pool house to the pool. She took off the towel and dipped her toe into the water, testing it out again. Then, satisfied, she jumped in. After reaching the water, she dived back up and pushed back her hair. Grabbing her hair-tie wrapped around her wrist, she tied it up. She was too busy tying it to hear a newcomer approach… actually, he wasn't that much of a newcomer.

"How's the water?" Ian asked.

Caught off guard, she almost fell in the pool. She turned around and was faced with a shirtless Ian. She almost fainted and had to keep herself from staring at his abs. _Oh God I'm in trouble now, _she thought numbly.

"G-Great," she muttered, dunking her head underwater and coming back up, hoping to refresh her mind. It didn't work.

"Really? You sure it's not too cold, because you look like you're shivering," he replied, eyeing her curiously.

She flushed and shook her head. "It's p-perfect."

He nodded and with that, he jumped in, cannonball-style. The splash caused water to get into Amy's eyes because she wasn't really paying attention.

"Shoot," she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Ian swam towards her and pulled her around so her back wasn't facing him. "Did I get water in your eyes?"

She didn't respond; she was too busy rubbing her eyes still.

"Dang," he muttered, putting his hands on her to stop them from rubbing. "Stop that – you're only going to make it worse. Try blinking a couple of times."

She tried, but she only wanted to close them. And not because of the water, but because of how close Ian was standing next to her.

"Need a towel?" he offered.

She shook her head and blinked some more. "I-I think I g-got it," she mumbled, trying to push him away. It didn't budge him.

"You sure?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

She nodded, trying to push him once more. He sighed and let go, swimming off.

_Why does he do that? Why does he act like he cares? Why must he do this… _She snapped out of her thoughts when she realized he was looking at her from the other side of the pool. She blushed and turned away.

"I'm not acting," he muttered, diving in once more.

And to her surprise, she gasped. Had she heard right? Or maybe there was too much water in her ears.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say more. But before he could vomit all his words out, four new people arrived in the scene.

"Next time," Natalie snapped, walking up to the pool. "Tell me when you borrow clothes!"

"Yes, yes," Ian muttered, rolling his eyes.

Natalie, purely annoyed, stormed off.

"Can we join?" Gabriel asked, smirking playfully.

Brian, right beside Gabriel, was quiet however. He still felt awkward about the whole situation, and he could feel the leftover anger illuminating off of Ian. He felt too guilty about it to actually wonder why Ian would even care in the first pace.

"Yeah, can we?"Jasmine purred, walking over to the pool as she took off her purple sandals. She wore a purple two-piece with floral designs on them.

"Sure," Ian offered.

Amy sighed, hoping she didn't sound too disappointed though. _He sounds so eager to be with his… fiancée. Oh man,_ she thought, taking in a deep breath,_ here I am, worrying about a guy who doesn't care for me at all. Acting like a jealous girlfriend. _She shook her head. _I'm so stupid. _

She continued swimming laps, ignoring the talk from the rest. All she wanted was to relax… that's all she wanted. Then she realized that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and accidentally slammed into something… or someone.

"Oh, sorry!" Brian yelled, pulling Amy up as she choked in the water from surprise.

"No, it's m-my fault," she said, still choking. "I should've been paying attention."

He shook his head. "I was up here and you were in the water. I should've moved out of the way."

She flashed him a small smile in apology. "Thanks. I'm sorry."

He smiled back at her and shrugged. "No biggie."

Amy continued swimming after that, but Ian felt too sick to do the same. Jasmine kept stroking his chest and muttering weird things into his ears, and then that incident happened.

_Why does she smile at him and not me? I don't understand! _He groaned mentally.

After another half-hour of swimming, Dan came out and exclaimed, "I know who it is!"

Amy felt herself gulp as she sank back into the water, her face flushed.

* * *

**A/N: **Ah… I've been gone. Sorry… been busy lately. Well, more like lazy. But more than anything, I could not think of what to write in this chapter! Urgh. So I hope you enjoyed :)

Haha and yes I realize that the quote and the story are in no way alike. Haha, but I like that quote and I couldn't think of anything.

Also, please point out any OOCness, grammar mistakes, or spelling mistakes. Oh, and **sorry it's short** :( I just wanted a chapter out.

But at least there's finally some Ian and Amy action! Man I take forever to get this stuff in…

"Get off of me you vile thing! .... Be gone you dwarf, you acorn!" – Lysander (in my Shakespeare play at school re-write haha)  
- Another Artist


	9. Sherlock Has Never Had A Mystery ThisBig

**Sherlock Has Never Has A Mystery This Big**

_"And they said this was going to be easy."_

"What are you talking about, boy?" Jasmine asked, having forgotten his name.

"I figured out!" Dan repeated, running over to Amy then stopping once he saw what she was wearing. He gagged. "Oh put on some clothing Amy!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up Dan."

Looking away from his sister, trying not to throw up in the pool, he said, "I figured out who was with Amy last night!"

_Who was with Amy last night? _Ian thought, angered at the thought. Then he remembered… _Oh, right. Oh no…_

Both Amy and Ian gulped.

"I d-doubt it," Amy muttered, trying to look confident. She failed badly, unfortunately.

"It's _obviously_ the kitchen chef, Ire Kinley!" Dan yelled victoriously. "I talked to him today and it just _must _be him!"

"Did you _ask_ him if it was him?" Jasmine asked, obviously bored.

"Well, no, but I don't need to!" Dan said, grinning. "I just know he was with Amy last night."

"He's fifty something…" Ian muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Sharing recipes, I assume. I think I remember that Amy wanted to be a cook or something…" Dan trailed off. Then he shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know, something along those lines. But it must be! No other makes sense!"

"Wait, what made you guess it was Ire?" Jasmine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This handkerchief with the initials _I.K._," Dan said, pulling it out of his pocket. It was wrinkled, but you could still see the initials.

Jasmine slowly lost her cool. "I.K. I.K. It's Ian Kabra you dimwit!" she yelled at Dan.

Dan looked confused. "What? It can't be. Why would my sister be with that rat?"

"I'm not a rat," Ian muttered.

"What were you doing with her last night!?" Jasmine snapped, turning around to face him. She was glaring at him through her sunglasses.

"Nothing," he said quietly, not meeting Jasmine or Amy's eyes.

Amy looked down as well, blushing. "I should go," she murmured quietly that almost no one heard her.

"No," Ian said, a bit loudly. "I will."

"Ian, this is not the end of this conversation!" Jasmine snapped, her girly voice unusually high.

He groaned quietly. "I know." Then he jumped out of the pool, leaking with water, and walked away to the pool house.

Amy bit her lip softly, sitting on the edge of the pool now. "I'm going to go too…" she said quietly, getting up.

"Ian Kabra…?" Dan still pondered. "Impossible! I wouldn't have missed that! I mean, doesn't Kabra start with a C?"

Jasmine's eye twitched, ready to slap the boy.

And if it wasn't already obvious – Dan is no Sherlock Holmes.

-

Amy, after changing into more comfortable and less showy clothing, jumped into bed and attempted to suffocate herself with her pillow. But after a minute, she gave up and let out a deep breath.

"Must. Kill. Dan," she muttered into the pillow. Then she let out another groan and pounded her fist against the pillow, obviously frustrated.

Knock-knock.

"Go away!" she hissed into the pillow, but it wasn't heard on the other side of the door.

Knock-knock.

She got up on her elbows and threw the pillow at the door, yelling, "Go away!" once more.

Dan opened up the door and peered in at his sister. He let out a deep breath of relief. "Phew, no tears."

Amy rolled her eyes and grabbed her other pillow, falling onto it like she had done to the other.

"Listen, I'm just here to tell you that I, unlike those other rich kids who have no idea what they're talking about, don't believe that it was Ian," he said, placing the handkerchief down on her dresser.

She held back the urge to throw this pillow at him then.

"I mean, why would Ian even be with you in the garden? You both hate each other," he said, rolling his eyes.

Little did he know, Amy flinched at this.

"I don't know," she muttered, digging her head deeper in.

"Well, whatever. They're just stupid, so don't listen to them," Dan said, flicking a piece of lint in the air. "Wanna come play Ninja Mission with me?"

She shook her head and he shrugged.

"Fine. See you at dinner then, I guess," he said, walking off, closing the door behind him.

And once again, Amy grabbed the pillow and screamed.

-

Amy didn't want to eat dinner. At all. For the rest of the time spent at the Kabras.

Because Ian was acting awkward and she still had no idea what he was doing last night anyway.

Because Jasmine was ready to claw her eyes out.

Because Brian is acting weird towards her for reasons blurred to her.

Because Natalie and Gabriel were oblivious to this all, including their parents.

And because Dan was as stupid enough as to not believe it all.

But after twenty minutes of listening to her stomach growl, she got frustrated with herself and decided to just suck it all up and go down there. After all, how much damage could take place in one dinner?

A lot more than she expected.

-

Amy walked in, feeling the tense air around her as she did. She bit back a shiver threatening her. Quietly, she sat beside her brother, who was munching away obliviously. She let out a quiet but deep breath before placing the napkin on her lap.

Then, you could hear Mr. Kabra's loud voice boom, "What?"

Amy felt herself flinch from the sudden noise and the eerie feeling that she might have been the reason for it.

"Ian, tell me it isn't true!" Mrs. Kabra said, shaking her head. "You were in bed last night! I know you were! Not with…" she trailed off but her eyes swiftly glanced over at Amy.

Ian stayed quiet.

_Weird, _Amy thought._ Ian isn't one to do that… I thought he would answer his parents. _

"Ridiculous! It's dangerous, foolish, and risky Ian! And for a hu-"

Ian's eyes widened in alarm and all eyes, besides Amy and Dan's, glanced towards them.

Mr. Kabra cleared his throat and continued. "- person of her status!" he finished, trying to make it seem like there was no pause. But it was too noticeable…

Amy couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about, but kept her mouth shut in fear.

"I forbid you to be out of the house – no, out of your _room_, without permission or… er, hunger purposes!" Mr. Kabra announced, glaring at his son. Then he turned to his daughter. "And you too! You must've known about this girl!"

Natalie gaped. "But I had no idea, father –"

"Hah! Of course you did! You are constantly around your brother, are you not?" Mrs. Kabra snapped at her.

"Not anymore! I'm usually just around, because I don't want to bother… well, maybe I knew part of it!" Natalie defended. "But not the whole story! It's not fair, mother! I shouldn't be forced into my room because of him!"

"Oh stop complaining," Mrs. Kabra scolded. "Your room is luxurious enough for you to be there until dawn. So stop it."

Natalie pouted and poked at her food, her eyebrows furrowed.

Ian didn't even glance at the sister he had just gotten in trouble. All he could think about was Amy and her thoughts… at the moment, because of his confused state, all he could sense was confusion, anger, and perhaps sadness in her mind. He frowned but tried to keep his emotions intact so they wouldn't alarm his parents.

Jasmine, however, wanted to talk to her soon-to-be fiancé. _Ian, when are you going to speak to me? _She snapped mentally. _Ever since this girl shows up, you've been so weird! As if she's more important than me! _Jasmine laughed harshly mentally.

"Nothing," he murmured, trying not to draw attention.

She frowned. "Well, obviously it is something if you snuck out to see her!" she pouted. "You never do that for me."

_Because you follow me like a sick puppy all day… _he thought, but didn't say. Natalie smirked at this, picking up the thought.

"I want to know Ian!" she said, now more loud.

Ian frowned, not wanting the attention from his parents, and especially Amy. So, to hopefully calm her down, he put his hand on hers and patted it. This didn't do anything but make her snap, "Well?"

And this caught Amy's attention, which made her look in their direction and see Ian's hand on Jasmine's. She didn't like the strange feeling at the pit of feeling that was aroused. She bit her lip down hardly and looked down, trying to forget the image.

"Dude, you gonna eat that?" Dan asked, pointing to her half-eaten steak.

She pushed it towards him, shaking her head. "I'm full," she whispered, standing up in her seat and placing her napkin down. "I'm just going to go to bed now…"

"Well good night," Dan mumbled through his stuffed mouth.

She nodded and walked off, leaving a curious Ian watching her and a furious Jasmine watching him watch her with a deadly fire in her eyes.

-

"I. Hate. It. Here," she said to herself, shaking her head to herself. "Why did they have to do this? Since when are Kabras generous after all? Maybe they lost a bet…" She sighed and fell back onto her bed. She stared up at the ceiling.

Then, the most random thought hit her: she was thirsty.

"This room has a mini-fridge," she muttered to herself, getting up to glance at it. "That doesn't have water? Can anyone please explain to me how that _isn't _wrong?" At the moment, she was felt frustrated at every little thing that didn't make sense to her. This happened to have been one of them.

Pulling on her slippers, she slides out the door. It's around 10:20, so only the adults are downstairs. She quietly walks into the kitchen, hoping not to draw any attention. She pours herself a glass of water and drinks. Done with her glass, she puts it into her sink and makes her was back up the stairs.

To her surprise, as she got to her room, there stood Ian Kabra, pacing around her door. She blinked in confusion, and before she could run off, she gasped unknowingly. He turned around quickly and their eyes met momentarily before he pulled away. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at this.

He felt a smirk tug at his lips when he read this thought but it quickly melted away as he remembered the reason for his being here.

"H-"- he cleared his throat - "– Hello."

"Hi," she said quietly, shifting on her feet.

"I wanted to speak to you," he said slowly.

She nodded slowly, not meeting his eyes. _Going against his parent's orders… how un-Kabra of him… _she thought to herself.

"Yeah," he replied. "It is."

She blinked, confused. _Did I say anything out loud? Oh, I hope I didn't! How embarrassing! _She blushed, shaking her head at herself. All she wanted to do was crawl under a rock… but her bed would be just as good.

"No, you didn't," he answered once more, taking a step closer to her.

She noticed this step quite clearly, but didn't take any action against it. This pleased him slightly, though they were still a couple of respectable feet away.

"Amy, you need to know why I was with you last night, in the garden," he said, trying to meet her gaze. But it was hard, because hers kept shifting.

"I-It's nothing. Y-You were p-probably l-lost, r-r-right?" she muttered, trying not to bring up _that _topic again. She's had enough humiliation to last for a lifetime.

"No, I wasn't," he replied, frowning.

She felt her ears heat up.

"I don't want to leave you in the dark anymore. It might be dangerous in the end," he said, almost choking on his words. He couldn't seem to imagine Amy limp in… in his father's hand. In Brian's hand. In Gabriel's hand. In even Jasmine's hand. He flinched at the thought. Once he snapped out of his thoughts, he realized Amy was watching him curiously.

Amy, now embarrassed to be caught, immediately cast her eyes downward once more.

"Amy, I'm a –"

* * *

**A/N: **As my dorky friend says, "Wowzerz!" Haha, seriously! DUDE, your guys' feedback is so amazing, there should be a new word for it: kamazing! "Kool" and "amazing"… because we all love spelling "cool" wrong :) Haha, so yeah, lots of thanks!

Um… hmm. Not many questions, I think. Er, um, I'm working on some other chapters for "Apology Not Accepted" and a new story that will not be posted until either this or "Apology Not Accepted" is finished. And don't even get me started on "Blog Your Heart Out"… man, I am being lazy about that story! It's mostly the comments that take up my time, and I kind of lost the document for it… sorry :( so yeah…

But on the bright side, I updated a lot quicker than the last one! Heh… yeah.

Semi-writer's block is hitting me :O

Haha, so major thanks again! AND CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? This story is growing up so fast :'( I remember the days where no one knew my name… actually, no one _still_ does, but I don't care haha. It's all about the passion of writing :D

Oh, and like always, please point out any OOCness, grammar, or spelling mistakes :)

"I'm still waiting for someone to prove me wrong, because this is the one thing I _need_ to be wrong about."  
- Another Artist

P.S. This is totally unrelated, but I'm thoroughly confused about this topic: is it P.P.S , or P. S. S? Like, when you add another "P.S."? Man, I'm confused. Haha, I do P.P.S, but I don't know if it's right o.O Any answers for the confused girl?


	10. One Way or Another

**One Way Or Another**

_"I'm going to figure this out, one way or another. Whether you like it or not."_

Then Ian was tackled to the ground…

… by Natalie.

_What are you doing, you retarded, stupid, moronic brother?! _She hissed mentally.

_I can't risk it! She needs to get out of here! _He replied through a hushed mental whisper.

_Then get her out of here! I couldn't care less! But don't you dare tell her Ian! I am _not _getting in trouble again because you're always doing something stupid for this girl! _She snapped, glaring at him.

Amy blinked, taken back. All she heard was a small portion of the next word, but then the rest was blocked out by the sudden tackle. Then, when they both wouldn't say anything, she started to feel suspicious.

"What's going on?" she whispered. Though it was quiet and could barely even be considered a whisper, he heard it clearly.

He cleared his throat and pushed his sister away, standing up and brushing off imaginary dirt from his expensive outfit. He opened his mouth to explain, but Natalie cut in.

"Oh, nothing. Why Amy, you must be_ exhausted_. Why don't you go to your room now? I'm sure Ian can tell you whatever he wanted to say tomorrow, right?" Natalie said with her poison-laced sugary voice.

"I-I guess," Amy said, frowning. She slid past them quietly, and into her room, closing the door quietly behind her. Right afterwards, she pressed her ear to the door to try and hear them. She knew it was eavesdropping, but Cahills_ are_ known for their curiosity.

However, she didn't hear anything. Even though their conversation was quite loud… inside their minds.

_I need to tell her, Natalie! So stop interfering! _Ian ordered, glaring at his sister.

_Maybe if it wasn't for the fact that I'd be the one getting in trouble for it, I'd let you. But seeing as how I _will_ get in trouble and_ don't _want to be cut-off from the family fortune, I won't. And I don't get it Ian: why are you risking everything for her? You're getting married soon. To someone with a much better sense of fashion than her, as well. _Natalie ranted.

_I couldn't care __less, _Ian replied, glaring at his sister.

_Well I _do _care__, so I'm not letting you. _Natalie hissed.

_And how are you going to do that? _Ian snapped.

_Watch me. _

-

Dan walked lazily outside of his room, scratching his head. "I'm hungry," he thought out loud.

As he walked downstairs, he heard snoring. _Loud _snoring. Confused, he walked all the way down and found a closet near the stairs, slightly hidden. Raising a curious eyebrow, he opened it up.

And there laid Ian Kabra, asleep, sucking his thumb.

"What the-" Dan muttered, obviously confused on whether he should (a) close the door and pretend he saw nothing, (b) take a picture and use it as blackmail, or (c) wake him up. He wanted to go for (b) but, deciding that it would be what Amy would do and that if he did the whole picture thing she'd make him delete it for her "boyfriend", he woke him up.

"Wha-?" Ian grumbled groggily, waking up, his eyes teary from sleep.

"Is there a reason you're in a closet?" Dan asked, his eyes half open from obvious boredom.

"I don't – Natalie!" he yelled, glaring past Dan.

And there stood Natalie, who had just walked down the stairs wearing a pink sundress with gold patterns. She stared at her brother and rolled her eyes before walking off to the dining hall.

Ian let out a growl and got up, storming past Dan. Dan stood there, watching.

"Man, I need a bagel," he muttered, shaking his head. "No boy should have to put up with this at such an early time." He walked off, leaving behind the whole scenario.

Meanwhile, Amy had just woken up and began walking down the stairs.

"Morning," she said, catching up to Dan.

"Hey," he muttered with a nod of his head at her.

"Aren't you going to wait until they call us for breakfast?" Amy asked, frowning.

"Nah. I'm planning to skip out today and just shoot some hoops in the back," Dan answered, shrugging.

Amy bit her lip, debating whether or not she should join him. She thought it'd be too weird to eat breakfast with the Kabras and Liones, especially after last night with Ian and Natalie… She let out a deep breath and said, "Yeah, okay. I'll, um, come too."

Dan raised an eyebrow at her.

She glanced at him and asked, "What?"

"You never skip out on breakfasts, especially with guests, or in this case, hosts. Why are you doing it now?" he asked.

She shrugged, trying to avoid any eye contact with him in fear it might give her away. "I'm not in the mood to put up with them." She and Dan's eyes widened at her words. "I-I didn't mean to sound that rude!"

Dan smirked. "Maybe this visit is good for you. You're too soft, Amy." He walked off to the kitchen, Amy following behind, biting her lip.

"What are you doing here?" Amy heard an Italian man ask, sounding both frightened and angered.

"Grabbing a bite to eat," Dan replied, opening up the fridge.

"I cannot allow it!" he said, immediately closing the fridge.

"Listen, if the Co-er, Kabras told you that we have to eat with them and all that, then just tell them that we didn't get the food from here, 'kay? We'll take the blame, not you," Dan said, trying to push the chef aside. He didn't budge though.

"I cannot allow it!" he repeated, standing firm. Now, he looked more scared than anything.

"Why not?" Dan pouted, feeling his stomach growl once more. "I told you that we'd take the blame."

"Because –"

It was too late.

Dan had opened the fridge and gaped at what he saw.

"What?" Amy asked, frowning as she walked over to her brother.

When she saw what her brother saw, she let out a shrill scream.

Once Ian heard it and located the source, he knew what occurred. He didn't know whether to feel sick to the stomach or relieved.

But when the rest of the family heard it, they became alert, ready to take action.

The Cahills had just uncovered the mystery of the Kabras and Liones.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **This is the last chapter of this story, because my story didn't make it past the next round.

Haha, did I scare you? :) Of course it's not silly! There's a lot more to go – but it's true that my story didn't make it to the next round. This isn't much of a difference, but this story may become T rated now, since the rules don't really matter as much now :) Only because nineteen-year-olds don't say "shoot"… But that's later on, when things begin to heat up ;) As in, more action! Hurrah!

Um, wow? Seriously, I got around 22 reviews on the last, suckish chapter and I'm completely blown away! So seriously, lots of thanks you guys! I DON'T DESERVE YOU GUYS! :)

Um, so yeah. Hope you enjoyed this wonderfully beta-ed chapter by _pyschoticbookgirl_! Thanks to her, my story is ALMOST perfect. If it wasn't for the sucky plot.

So again, hope you enjoyed :) And SO sorry it's short :( I just wanted a cliffhanger… again. Yeah, I'm sorry for the cliffies! I just love them…

Thanks for reading :)


	11. Not According to Plan

**Not According To Plan**

_"This wasn't supposed to happen – I swear."_

Amy felt like throwing up.

"I don't know whether to be grossed out or excited," Dan murmured, not able to take his eyes off of the fridge's content.

As quickly as he could, Ian ran to the kitchen, making sure to beat all of his other family members.

"Amy-" he said, apprehensively watching her.

Amy blinked, glanced at him, then the fridge. Her eyes were mortified, and she was quivering with fear.

"I know how creepy it looks, but-"

"I want to go home," Amy whispered, not looking at him still.

"Amy, let's be reaso-" Ian was cut off from his exasperated statement.

"Please."

"I-"

"Ian, I want to go home," she repeated, now looking at him with eyes both sad and scared.

Ian sighed and glanced at her, his eyes sad as well. "Okay. Go pa-"

"What happened?!" Mrs. Kabra asked, an "innocent" look on her face. She glanced at the fridge and scowled slightly, her eyes sending daggers at the chef who was mortified as well. She quickly regained her posture and tried to look calm and casual. "Oh dear, you found out meat pile. I know how scary it must seem to you, with all that… blood. But do not worry. You see, my son and husband love to hunt, and because they hunt so much, they always tend to fill up our fridge with their prizes."

Amy glanced at the dead animals laying in the fridge, soaked free of blood and shuddered.

"But take care, it is no big deal. Now, come join us in the dining hall. Breakfast will start soo-"

"I want to go home," Amy told her.

"Don't be silly," Mrs. Kabra said, trying to refrain from scowling at the insolent girl for interrupting her. "Stay, stay. It would please Ian, I am sure."

Ian stayed quiet, analyzing Amy's face and trying to read her thoughts. But all he could pick up was fear and mortification, as if she was too terrified to even speak.

"I want to go home," she said again, as if it was the only thing she knew how to say at the moment. "Please." Then again, how could Amy Cahill forget her manners?

"Silly girl," Mrs. Kabra snapped. "This _is _your home for the next months. Your idiotic aunt left, and there is no one else willing to take care of you two ungrateful orphans. So deal with it. Now, either be at breakfast or starve." And with that, Mrs. Kabra walked off.

Amy bit her lip, frowning. Dan slowly closed the fridge door and looked at his sister.

"You okay?" he asked shakily.

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Same here," Dan muttered.

"I'm going to my room," she said numbly, walking past Ian and out of the kitchen.

"Freaky," Dan murmured softly as he followed behind.

And though everything was so dramatic and horrendous, all Ian could think to himself was:_ They still don't know…_ He shook his head, a pained look on his face. She_ still doesn't know…_

-

"Tho-Those weren't _just _killed animals," Amy said, shaking. She couldn't believe Isabel Kabra's words – they didn't make sense to her. And most of all, she had this weird feeling that there was more to it…

"Yeah, they were hunted animals," Dan said with a shrug.

Amy couldn't help but wish she could be a guy too – she would be able to handle these things better.

"I-I don't think so. I think they were killed differently," she said, taking in shallow breaths.

"Then how were they killed?"

"I don't know," Amy said slowly. "But I'm going to figure it out. Help me Dan."

"But I'm playing a video game!" he whined, jabbing at the buttons on the controller.

Amy frowned. "Please Dan. I have to know what kind of people they are… what if we're staying with criminals?"

"Then you'd finally have a reason to actually hate Ian," Dan muttered, his eyes glued to the screen.

Amy sighed, shaking her head. Her brother was going to obviously be of no help.

"Well I'm going to go back to the kitchen," Amy muttered. "Speak to the chef. See you later."

"Mhm," Dan said, not even glancing at his sister.

-

Amy jogged downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. She didn't want to attract more attention. Quietly, she opened the door that led to the kitchen and peered in. The coast looked clear…

She tip-toed in and looked around some more. No one was there… _Wonder where the chefs went_, she thought. _Oh well. I should go- _She was stopped when she saw dark almond eyes watching her curiously. _How did I miss that? _She groaned mentally.

"Hello," Ian Kabra said, raising an eyebrow at Amy. "Would you like to join me? I was just eating some ice cream, non-fat, of course. It explains the absence of my chefs – I like to eat in privacy so I ordered them off for a half-hour."

"N-No thank-you," Amy stuttered, wanting to get out of the kitchen now. She still had no clue what Ian was, and what he wanted with her.

"I don't want to do anything to you," he muttered, glancing downward to take another bite of his ice cream.

"I-I didn't s-say-"she said, her eyes widening. She knew, for sure, that she had not said anything.

"I know," he said, frowning. He looked around subtly, and tried to hear if anyone was nearby. No one. He let out a deep breath and put his spoon down. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, "Amy, I need to tell you something."

_Not this again, _Amy moaned, unreasonably scared. _What is it? Am I his next victim?_

Ian scowled at hearing this. "No, you're not my next victim. But you may be _a _victim, if I do not tell you. Amy, I – we, the Kabras and the Liones, are vampires."

_They're not criminals, they're psychos… _Amy thought sadly. _Great. _

"We're not crazy," Ian snapped. But he saw that Amy flinched and tried to regain his posture. "Maybe I should rephrase that: we're energy vampires."

_Definitely insane,_ Amy thought.

Though he was frustrated, he continued. "We survive off of energy, not blood."

"I-I think you sh-should go r-rest-t Ian. Y-You're t-talk-king like a m-mad man," she said, frowning at him.

"Then explain to me how I can hear your thoughts," Ian hissed, his frustration getting bigger. "Or why those animals were in the fridge? They obviously, despite my mother's words, weren't hunted. They were killed. Accidents that occurred when we took too much energy and ended up draining all their life. Or when Brian fed off of you? Maybe you didn't know that he fed off of you, but you know he did something to you - something that made you unconscious. And why I was there! Because I helped you regain energy! That's why my parents scolded me – because it's dangerous. If we feed too much, our victims become lifeless, but not dead: zombies. If we feed too little, we hunger for it and become vulnerable when we sense it. Brian was hungry, and he found you alone. Not to mention that you're a girl and that Brian is a hopeless flirt. You were an easy target for him and already his desire before. Lucky I found you though. Or else –"

"I get it," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, finally looking at her. His eyes, before, were glazed over, too busy ranting to actually notice her. But now that he saw her, she looked scared.

_It's not possible, _Amy thought. _This isn't real. Powers, vampires… they don't exist. What's next? Fairies and unicorns? I don't think so! Dang it Amy, you're supposed to be logical! Don't buy this… and yet I'm so afraid that all his words may be true._

"Fine, don't believe me," Ian said. "But be careful. Don't go out alone at night – or alone e_ver_. Especially if you see one of us eyeing you."

"Even you?" she asked quietly.

"Even me."

"What would happen? Would I f-faint?"

"Maybe... or worse," he said with a sigh.

It was silent as Amy took this in.

After thinking furiously to herself, she finally asked the question that was killing her: "Why do you care?" Her eyes met his bravely. This was unusual for Amy, but she wanted to know – she needed to know. _Maybe Ian really does care... Then that would mean – _she blushed at her thoughts.

Ian couldn't help but smile a bit at this. He opened his mouth to answer but then picked up a new thought… his father. Mr. Kabra obviously wasn't paying much attention to his shields because he was slightly uncovered. And Ian picked this up. He gulped and glanced at the girl, who was waiting with anticipation and embarrassment. He could either answer honestly and have either the girl, him, or both of them shipped out, or lie and keep them both together. Where she would be safe… and her safety was his priority at the moment. That and keeping her out of Brian Lione's hands.

"I don't," he said stiffly, not meeting her eyes.

She felt herself crash inside. She nodded briefly and took a step back.

"I just don't want to give Brian any satisfaction. He always gets what he wants, so it's time to have fun with it I guess," Ian muttered, staring at the floor numbly. "This has nothing to do with you, really."

He looked up for her reply but she was leaving. And before she walked out of the door, he caught a glimpse of her hand wiping her cheek. And honestly, he felt like doing the same.

* * *

**A/N:** Energy vampires… yeah, I kind of got that from L.J. Smith… heh. Her story, Dark Visions, is the story it's from. I think the dude's name was Gabriel actually, which is a coincidence because I didn't mean to name one of my characters after him. But the energy vampire thing comes partially from her.

Um, again, much love and thanks to pyschoticbookgirl! She's a fabulous beta-reader and is a lot of help! Trust me – this story is crap before her revisions. You've got to give her props for putting up with it :)

So yeah, a lot of you guys complain about my cliffies… I'm SORRY :( Yeah, so I'll try not to have too many from now on, until later :) See! This one doesn't have one! And so sorry this one is short too! But it has more action, so that made me happy…

And oh my gosh, where is that crazy bird that I named this story after? :( I have got to put him here again sometime later…

Anyway, thanks plenty for reading :) Hope you enjoyed!


	12. Running Away

**Running Away **

_"I'm scared. So I'm leaving. Please don't hate me for it."_

"We're leaving," Amy announced, walking into Dan's room. After an hour of composing herself, she finally decided that the only way to forget about all the craziness here was to leave.

"What? Why? I'm on level 55 of Ninja Mission!" Dan complained, sitting up from his bed.

"Listen, I was just talking to Ian and I figured out that this place isn't safe," she said uncomfortably. She didn't want to tell Dan what had happened earlier, or even about the whole vampire thing she just learned about. She herself couldn't even comprehend it. Energy vampires? She didn't think that was exactly... possible.

"What were you doing talking to the _Cobra_?" Dan asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing," she mumbled, looking away. "Just pack, Dan. We're leaving tonight."

"I don't want to leave!" Dan argued.

"Too bad!"

"I'm not going!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you –"

"What is all this noise?" Mr. Kabra asked, opening the door.

_Privacy much? _Amy couldn't help but think. Then she remember Ian's words about reading minds, and she quickly blushed, hoping he didn't hear it. He did.

"Nothing. My sister is just being her usual nagging self," Dan muttered, crossing his arms.

"Shut up Dan," she muttered, looking at Mr. Kabra the whole time. From the way he was looking at her, she could tell that something wasn't right.

"No, go on, Daniel. What was your sister nagging about?" Mr. Kabra asked, his eyes glistening with mischief.

"Nothing," Dan muttered, kind of scared of the way Mr. Kabra was looking at him.

"No, do tell. I would love to hear. Maybe I could even help?" he offered.

"R-Really it's o-ok-kay," Amy stuttered, wanting to get Mr. Kabra out of Dan's room as fast as possible.

"No, no!" Mr. Kabra said, strolling over to take a seat on the couch nearby the TV. "You're my guests! If there are any problems, I should know of them!" He crossed his legs and a wry smile spread across his features, making Amy shiver.

"Well… okay," Dan gave up with a sigh.

Amy's eyes widened and she looked at her brother, her eyes pleading him not to tell him.

But he ignored it. "You see, the game room needs more games. I mean, sure there are almost two hundred games, but you need more. I'm going to be here for a while, and I need to be entertained. After all, I _am_ your guest. Oh, and the pool! I saw it the other day, and it is _so _small. I need room to exercise and with my growing body, soon it will not be big enough at all. And do not get me started on the meals! I think they should be at least five times a day…." On and on Dan droned, talking about all the "flaws" he wanted fixed. Each flaw seemed to wear down Mr. Kabra and anger him. After five minutes, and realizing that Dan would not give up, he got up, his face agitated.

"I will see to your needs some other time," he said through gritted teeth, throwing them a restrained smile before leaving.

Amy blinked at the closing door then turned to her brother, who was grinning victoriously.

"I'm good, right?" he asked.

"Yeah! That was great!" Amy laughed, smiling at her brother. "Why, he was fooled! I mean, seriously, how could you not-" Then a frown replaced all happiness. Ian's words came back to mind, again of how he could read minds and so could his family. _So, if Mr. Kabra knew what was going on, then why did he ask? What is he trying to prove? Or maybe he doesn't know that we know… Probably does. Ian probably told him. Since when does Ian disobey? Since when does Ian even care… never, _she thought glumly.

"What's wrong?" Dan asked, feeling his happiness fade as well. He could always sense whenever something was wrong with his sister, and whenever something was wrong with her, something was wrong with him. It was a sibling bond that couldn't be broken.

"N-Nothing," she muttered, shaking her head. "Just pack. I want to leave in the morning."

"But-"

"No buts." And with that, Amy walked out of Dan's room.

-

_Stupid parents, stupid father, stupid lies, stupid girl, stupid girl's tears… stupid life,_ Ian thought dejectedly to himself, throwing a hackysack at the wall repeatedly. _Why did father have to be there _then_? Right when I could've finally told Amy of my feelings. I swear, the Fates must hate me. After all, I am a __descendant __of a messed up Greek gods' family. … Stupid ancestry._

"Listen, Ian. I know you're sad that you couldn't tell the poor girl of your feelings, but can you keep it down? I'm trying to get some beauty rest. Tomorrow _is _your rehearsal dinner," Natalie texted Ian.

Ian frowned. "You heard that?" he replied.

"Yeah."

"You think anyone else could?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"BECAUSE I'M THE ONLY ONE THIS CLOSE TO YOU! NOW SHUT UP AND GO TO SLEEP, IAN!"

"Fine."

Ian threw his phone to the side and let out a deep breath. Almost every two months there would be a rehearsal dinner – the two families took the weddings very seriously. Ian never truly liked them, because they took half a day to prepare for, then another half to actually rehearse.

_Stupid wedding, _Ian thought.

Then he felt his phone vibrate once more and checked. Another text message:

"SHUT UP!"

-

Amy, not being able to sleep after she finished packing, stumbled downstairs to get a drink of water. It was a great misfortune that she ran into Mr. Kabra down there.

"Morning, Miss Cahill," he said, barely glancing at her.

"G-Good M-M-Morning, Mr. K-Kabra," she stuttered, caught off guard.

"You are up early," he stated, sipping his coffee.

"I c-couldn't s-s-sleep," she said quietly.

"Ah, neither could Ian. I could hear him up all night, thinking," he murmured.

_Thinking…_ she took note of.

"Yes, thinking," he repeated, rolling his eyes. "It's early, Amy. I'll walk you back up to your room."

Amy's eyes widened. Her bags were laid out on the floor of her room, ready to go. "N-No! Th-That's f-fine! Reall-lly! I-I can d-do it m-mys-self!"

"No worries. I am on my way up as well. We can walk together," Mr. Kabra said.

Before she could object, Mr. Kabra had started walking. She bit on her lip tightly and followed.

They walked in silence, and when they got to her room, Amy quickly opened the door and closed it behind her. "Th-Thank y-you, Mr. K-Kabra."

It was silent, and she thought the coast was clear. She opened the door and peered out, and there he stood, a curious look on his face.

"You're running off," he stated.

"Y-Yes," she said quietly, her eyes downcast. She braced herself for being yelled at.

Then he said something that surprised her.

"I will help."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, you guys, guess how many effin' pages of this story there are? So far, 66. Isn't that freakin' insane?! Ah! And we're only halfway there! My gosh, this is gonna be long :) But maybe it's because I take notes that aren't published, which makes it longer… xD I like to plan ahead, so my stories don't end up to be weird crap that really don't go together at all. I do that sometimes ;)

Um, yeah. That's a cliffhanger, isn't it…? Er, um, well. Yeah. I can't help myself. I just love suspense (insert sheepish smile).

Gah, it's short! AGAIN! Man, okay, I will promise you guys three things for the next chapter: Clouded Harmony (the bird that this story is named after) will be in it, it will be longer, and it will have no cliffhanger. That last thing just may be the hardest D:

As always, much thanks to psychoticbookgirl! :)

While reading this, I recommend listening to Running Away by Hoobastank :) I love them. And the lyrics are perfect!

Um, so thanks for reading, as always! Lots of love!

"To my friends. Because while the rest were encouraging me, they pointed out all my flaws and laughed."  
- Another Artist

**P.S. **Working on drabbles and diary entries for my other two new stories, but they will not be done today. They will probably be published tomorrow or the day after... eh, it depends. WHY?! Because I have a very scary high school orientation to go to today D: I am freaking out! Anyway, once again, hope you enjoyed! :)


	13. Run as Fast as You Can

**Run As Fast As You Can**

_"... because you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! Wait... wrong scene. My bad."_

"W-What?" Amy asked, completely taken back. Vikram Kabra was offering to help Amy and Dan escape… how could this be?

"I will help," he replies, rolling his eyes like a true Kabra.

"But why?" Dan asked, suspicious. He's seen enough TV shows to know where this is going: them getting chopped into pieces and never being seen again.

"Simply because I never approved of having you stay in the first place," he stated formally.

_Well, that's nice, _Amy thought sarcastically.

"So, if you do not mind, I think you two should hurry. I would like to get you two out of here before the others awaken or even notice." And with that, he left the room.

"Should we trust him?" Amy asked quietly, after hearing him leave down the stairs.

"No," Dan said incredulously. "How could you even ask? It's Vikram Kabra, Amy! Of course he can't be trusted."

"But…" Amy couldn't help but wonder if his words, for once, were actually true. Maybe Vikram did want to help them.

"Don't you even dare think about it!" Dan argued. "We're not trusting him. For all we know, he could be taking us to an abandoned shack down the road to kill us!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Amy sighed.

"Well, it's possible," Dan muttered.

"Listen, we have to get out of here," Amy told him. "It-It's not safe here."

"How?" Dan snapped.

"Be-Because… well…" she didn't know how to explain everything that Ian had told her to her brother.

"Well?" Dan waited.

"I can't tell you," she huffed, crossing her arms. "But just trust me on this, Dan. It's not safe."

"I don't know what these Cobras are telling you, but it's obviously making you loopy. Besides, it's safer here than with Vikram." He shuddered as he said his name.

"Pack up, Dan. No more arguing; we're leaving." With a deep breath, she walked off to pack.

"Well, Miss Bossy," he muttered, walking off to pack as well.

They packed up the belongings they brought – which wasn't much – and walked downstairs.

"Ah, took you long enough," Mr. Kabra muttered. "I was ready to come up there and drag you both down here."

"S-Sorry," Amy murmured. "W-W were j-just t-talking-g…"

"I bet so…" he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Now hurry it along! Natalie is always awake first, and it's around that time. So chop-chop! Limo's parked in the front."

Dan started muttering under his breath as he followed Mr. Kabra outside, and Amy slowly trailed behind them. As the driver threw their stuff into the trunk, she glanced around the estate.

_It's so gorgeous, and yet I'm leaving it,_ she thought. _I would stay, if it didn't belong to people so… ruthless._ She smiled sadly and was about to step into the limo when she heard chirping.

She turned around, and on the shrub nearby was C.H. Amy smiled at the familiar face.

"Where've you been?" she asked, walking over to it.

It chirped in response.

She laughed softly. "Man, I'm going to miss you. You're unlike any other bird I've seen in New York… or wherever I am."

It didn't respond.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. Stay away from those Kabras," she said in a final goodbye. "I hope you aren't their latest edition for food." She petted it softly and walked back to the limo.

Meanwhile, Ian just woke up. Someone was knocking on his door.

Drowsily, he stood up and answered it.

"What?" he asked, scratching his head sleepily.

"Why didn't you tell me the Cahills were leaving? I could've planned a celebration party, and picked out a lovely outfit for this," Natalie said, glaring at her brother.

"What?!" Ian exclaimed, his eyes bulging. Quickly, he stormed out of his room, past Natalie and down the stairs.

He reached the driveway, where Amy was just about to get into the car.

"Amy!" he yelled, running over to her.

Startled, she looked at him. She then blushed and looked down, then shyly peeked over at him.

"Oh, stop drooling," Dan scowled. Then, he peeked over his sister and rolled his eyes. "And put on a shirt, Ian! Before my sister drowns of her own saliva."

Ian looked down and remembered that he forgot to put a shirt on before leaving his room. That would explain Amy's look… even though she's already seen him shirtless when they were swimming. Or maybe it was because he was only in his boxers…

He shook his head and tossed away any embarrassing thoughts of himself.

"You're not leaving, are you?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

She didn't reply, but didn't move either. She was stuck; one foot in the limo and the other on the pavement.

"Yeah!" Dan replied for her, taking out his comic book from his backpack. "Apparently, it's not 'safe' here." He rolled his eyes and flipped the page.

Ian frowned. _Maybe it was a mistake to tell her… _

Then, before he could respond, his father stepped out from the other side of the limo, an aggravated look on his face.

"Ian, just let our guests leave. They are, after all, our guests, and they may come and go as they like. At this particular time, however, they find it best to go. So, let us be. I am only to drop them off at the airport," Mr. Kabra said, sending a reassuring look at his son. But Ian knew better.

While Mr. Kabra spoke, Amy couldn't help but wonder what he meant by 'airport'. _Didn't we drive here? _she asked herself. She softly bit on her lip, wondering why he would say that. _But maybe it'd be faster if we took a plane… yeah, that's probably why. _

Meanwhile, Ian scowled at his father.

_Don't lie to me. I know that you're not taking them to the airport,_ he argued mentally.

_Oh, really? How so? _Mr. Kabra said, his thoughts holding some kind of lethal poison.

_Because we drove them here, and we both know that there are no airports within this area. We own all of this. Besides, why don't you just let them use our private jet? It'd be faster, and as you said, they are our guests. _

_Do not argue with me Ian. I am your father, so listen to my words and think of them truthfully. Don't you dare defy me now – especially for the Cahill girl!_

Ian didn't reply. He heard heels tapping on the tiles behind him… Jasmine.

"What's going on?" she asked, grabbing onto Ian's arms lovingly.

He scowled but answered, "Nothing. Just… go get Natalie for me."

"But-" she tried objecting.

"Please," he said stiffly, his jaw clenched.

She let out a huff and walked off, her heels clicking hardly against the tiles.

He looked back at Amy, and she caught his glance. Blushing, she finally stepped into the limo and almost shut the door. But before she did, quietly, she murmured, "Goodbye…"

"Amy-"

But before he could finish, Mr. Kabra quickly stepped into the limo and ordered the driver to leave.

His eyebrows furrowed and he tried yelling, but it was too late. They were driving out of the estate…

-

_Maybe this isn't a good idea_, Amy thought to herself, quietly playing with her fingers. _I still don't know where we're going. I look out the window and what do I see? Dark forest surrounding us. How can there be an airport nearby all of this?_

She glanced over at her brother, who had finished his comic books and was also staring out the window. He looked annoyed and frustrated, probably at her for making them leave, but also… scared. As if he could sense some kind of deception, just like Amy.

Taking in a deep breath, she finally decided to ask Mr. Kabra how much longer.

His reply didn't help at all.

"Oh, much, _much _longer, children. So just sit tight… and try not to look out the window too much."

Amy and Dan gulped involuntarily.

-

Back at the estate, Ian was pacing around his room. After he had showered and changed, he still couldn't stop thinking of Amy.

_Why did she have to leave? And with my father, nonetheless? Why would she trust him? Was she that desperate to get away from us? She's so much smarter than to trust him… of course she was desperate._

"Knock, knock!" he heard his mother say from outside their room. And because she was not born a Kabra, she could not hear her son's thoughts about a girl that was his fiancée, or even rich.

"Not now mother," he said with a loud sigh.

She entered anyway. "Oh, hurry up! In two hours, yours and Jasmine's dinner rehearsal will take place in the backyard." She stopped and examined Ian. "Should I send in a hairdresser? I'm sure he could something better, rather than simply gel your hair."

"It's fine, mother," he replied, shaking his head.

"Oh, stop being so dark and gloomy! Hurry up and come downstairs!" The only thing that didn't make Isabel Kabra act, well, like a Kabra was the fact that her eldest, and only, son was about to get married. If only she knew that Ian didn't feel the same about the situation. Before she left, she paused and added, "Have you see your father around, by the way? Natalie hasn't a clue where she's gone."

Suddenly stiff, he answered coldly, "No."

Ignoring the stale atmosphere, Isabel left.

Ian let out a groan and walked over to his window, pushing back the curtains and pulling the frame to let in some air. He took in a deep breath and leaned over his window.

As he closed his eyes, he heard chirping. He ignored it for some time, until it just wouldn't stop. His eyes fluttered open, annoyed at the bird for disturbing his moment of peace.

And there stood, right beside him, a white and black bird.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

_For you to follow me… _

"Oh, hurrah. Hearing animal's thoughts tell me what to do always brightens up my day," he muttered, ignoring it.

_I can tell you where the girl with the jade necklace went._

He blinked and looked at the bird. "A-Amy?" He noticed his short stutter and cursed himself.

_If that is her name._

He looked around to see if anyone could see him, then back at the bird. "Take me." He jumped out the window and landed on the grass below. Slyly, he grabbed the keys for one of the motorcycles and jumped onto the nearest motorcycles.

_Keep up with me. _

Ian rolled his eyes and the bird's challenge and revved the motor. "It won't be hard, birdie."

_It's Clouded Harmony._

"You have a name?" Ian asked, dumbfounded.

_The one you called Amy gave it to me._

"Well, leave it up to her to give you such a long name," he sighed. "Well, let's go?"

The bird started flying off, and Ian followed after it.

-

It was getting dark, the Cahills noticed. And still no sight of civilization. They were getting worried about what Vikram's true means were.

"Um, h-how m-much-ch l-longer n-n-now?" Amy stuttered. And truth be told, she was afraid of the answer.

"Oh, not much," Vikram said, playing with his phone and not even glancing at them.

Neither of them replied.

Instead, they looked at each other and their eyes said the same:

_Help._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Okay, it's longer and has the bird in it, but is that considered a cliffhanger? I don't know… because I don't know how to end a chapter without one xD It's sad. Well I guess I do, but… eh, sometimes.

The surprise is in the works. So yeah, ecstatic I am. :)

UM, okay, I have this CRAZY goal for me (and you). I want to get to 200 reviews by… this chapter. I'm crazy, and yes, I realize this. Why?????? I like challenges. But even if I DON'T get to the 200 review mark by this chapter, I will… not update. So don't disappoint me! *said in a menacing, evil voice* 

… NAH! JUST KIDDING! In all seriousness, I will update whether or not I get to that mark. This is just for fun, because… I like challenges, as I said before. And if I take a long time, DON'T FREAK OUT! It's just because, well, the next chapter is going to be EXTREME! So, it might take some time. ACTION, ROMANCE, DRAMA... and PIE in the next chapter! Well, I'm iffy about the pie, but the rest should be there :)

Anyway, besides that, hope you enjoyed! I really do appreciate you guys for all the support :D

… Man, was that quote right thar cliché or what?

But really, THANKS A TON :)

"I'm at the happiest place in the world and I'm emo."  
- Another Artist

P.S. Also, I just got a review from an anonymous person to instead of focusing on the running away, to celebrate Amy's 17th birthday? Um, first of all, she's already 17…. Second of all, that would be completely random and would not go along with the plot. I know you probably wanted more Ian/Amy in a birthday scene, but… yeah, that would make no sense at all. But maybe I'll throw in a birthday later, just not now. But thanks for the suggestion... or command, or whatever. It was a good idea.

P.S.S. Sorry, this is a long A/N. But, this is a RAW version - unbetaed. So, sorry for any mistakes.


	14. Don't Want a Hero

**Don't Want a Hero**

_"I don't want a hero, but I need one." _

"Where are you taking me?" Ian yelled at the bird.

It didn't respond.

Ian rolled his eyes and instead revved his engine even more to catch up to it.

"I'm serious! Where are they?"

_Follow me. _

"I am!" he snapped.

It didn't respond… again.

He muttered unintelligible thoughts and followed. If it wasn't for Amy, he would have given up a while ago.

It was getting dark however, and if it wasn't for his inhumanely abilities, he wouldn't have been able to see.

After some time, Ian got tired. He hadn't fed for some time, after all, he didn't expect to be gone for so long.

"How much longer?" he asked wearily.

_They're still going._

Ian blinked, both his human and inhuman needs wearing him down. _But where is my father taking my – uh, Amy. Not _my _Amy, just Amy. Oh, and her immature younger brother. _

The trip was weary and tiring, but Ian tried to hold through. He had to get to them… he just had to. No matter the cost. The night grew even darker, and Ian became even more tired and hungry. Now he _really _wished he had brought something to eat.

_So tired… so hungry… so…_

His last thought was cut off when the bird announced, _We're here._

Ian looked around anxiously, trying to spot them. But… what was that? No, it couldn't be… is that? What are they doing here? A carnival?

A rundown carnival, actually. It's abandoned, making it all the more scary.

_Here? _He asked the bird.

_Here,_ it repeated.

_Are you sure-?_

_Listen, the girl's in there. Along with the boy. Believe me or not, but I don't lie._

Ian grumbled to himself. _Of course Amy finds the one bird with attitude to befriend…_

Ian jumped off of his motorcycle and stepped onto the cold dirt. Brushing his hand through his hair, he made his way over to the carnival. It was locked up, of course, but he managed to make his way past the gates. The dark didn't bother him, but the fact that Amy was around here somewhere did. And with his father, no less. Why, the very thought sent shivers down his back.

Suddenly, he heard a scream.

His eyes widened, and he yelled out, "Amy!" Then, he ran.

He ran as if the world depended on it. And to him, it did.

"Amy! Amy, where are you!? Amy!" he screamed as loud as he could, searching for any signs of them.

Another scream was heard, sending even more chills down his back.

Then, he stopped. He could… he could smell her. Her flowery aroma that she always has around her that's never too sweet, unlike Jasmine. Slowly, he followed the scent.

And he traced it to the source at a wooden, torn down rollercoaster.

"But then where-" his thought was cut off.

"Ah, son, what brings you here?"

Ian spun around. "Father."

"Ian."

"Where are they?" he ground out, trying to keep himself from exploding with anger at his father.

"Where are who?" his father asked coolly.

His teeth grinded in anger and frustration. "Amy and Dan, that's who."

"Why, how do you know they're not on their way back to New York?" he asked slyly.

"Don't lie to me," he gritted out once more. "Where are they?"

"First of all, I should first explain where we are," Vikram stated. "Like it, son? I bought it some time ago, when you and Natalie were much younger. It was to be your playground…"

"A carnival?"

"Of course! But I never did finish fixing the rides, and they proved to be much too dangerous. I could never put my children on them."

"But…"

Then the lights flashed on.

"No…"

There stood Amy and Dan, tied to one of the rollercoaster's cart. Amy's eyes widened as she looked at the destiny in front of her. She let out another scream.

"Amy!" he yelled.

But she didn't hear him.

"What are you doing anyway, Ian? Disobeying orders? And for her?" his father snapped. "And what about Jasmine? She's ten times prettier, and doesn't come from a poor, penniless family like that orphan!"

Ian didn't answer. He was too busy trying to figure out a way to save Amy and get past his father's means.

"If you aren't going to bother to answer, then I guess I shall start the ride," Vikram announced, walking off.

_I have to stall him… I have to. But what… _"Don't do it, father!"

"And why shouldn't I?" he snapped.

"Because I-I… I will marry Jasmine."

"Of course you will! Do you think you have a choice?"

"I'll marry her sooner! That way you don't have to worry about Amy! She won't be of harm!"

Vikram stood in silence, taking this in. Then, he smirked and said, "Fine." Ian let out a breath of relief, but then Vikram added, "If you can stop them."

And the cart came rolling down… with Amy and Dan inside.

_We're going to die! We're going to die! _Dan thought frantically as the cart started moving. He glanced at his sister, worried. _And Amy's going crazy! No! I'm too young to die! _

Meanwhile, Amy was thinking to herself as well as she screamed. _No, no! I should've known he'd do this! And now my brother is going to die because of it! _Tears rolled down her face and she closed them, letting them flow freely.

"Cut it out, Amy! We have to think of a way to get out of this!" Dan yelled.

"I'm sorry, Dan! I'm sorry for doing this!" Amy cried, ignoring her brother's statement. "I love you, Dan! So much! Even when I'm yelling at you!" She hugged her brother tight.

"Oh, shut it, Amy," he muttered, rolling her eyes. "You're such a drama queen sometimes."

"But-"

"We can find a way out, can't we?" Dan asked. Sure, he was quite afraid, but he had hope in his and his sister's abilities. After all, they'd survived the 39 Clues themselves. "Just focus!"

"I can't-"

"Amy!" they heard a new voice yell.

Dan looked down in surprise at… Ian, running towards them. "Hey look… your boyfriend's here to rescue us."

Amy blinked, ignoring his last statement. "What…?" Then she spotted him. Her eyes widened in horror. _What's he doing here?! _

Then a big drop came up. Amy's and Dan's eyes widened in horror.

But before it could hit, something jerked them to a stop. They turned around and there stood Ian, struggling to pull the cart back.

* * *

**A/N: **I have a problem with cliffhangers… huh. Anyway, this A/N was originally very long, so I cut it down. The main points? I made a plot line for this story (finally), we made my insanely weird goal (and beat it by 14 o.O), and… that this chapter was strangely difficult to write. There we go… much shorter.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Sorry it took me some time. Bleh. Please excuse any mistakes… and that's it. Hope you enjoyed! And much thanks for the feedback you guys! Oh, and sorry this was short.

"These quotes aren't as easy to make than it seem, ya know?"  
- Another Artist

**P.S.** This isn't, if you guys are thinking, the climax just yet.

**P.P.S.** Okay, quick review responses to anonymous peeps: Melody Knight – I don't remember putting anyone in the story with the power to speak to nature or calm the weather actually. Sorry. And to … dang, I can't find the review. Anyway, to the person who was sorry for asking to put Amy's b-day in and stuff and forgetting the rescue, it's all good. You gave me an idea anyway :) So… that's it. And thanks to everyone (again) for "praising" my story and writing skittlez (skittlez equals skills in my language, by the way). Thanks :)

**P.P.S. **Too many of these… anyway, just a note: there was going to be some kick-butt action in this chapter, but it was taken out because… I don't know why. Anyway, there will be some later. I added it in and stuff, so yay? But remember to remember that promise Ian made – it'll be important.

**P.P.P.S. **Hey… where did I put Nellie? I just noticed that I left her out… that's a pity. Then Hamilton went missing. Huh. Okay, no more of these. Sorry for keeping you reading this nonsense!


	15. An Unwanted Rescue

**An Unwanted Rescue**

_"I don't need a knight in shining armor. I can rescue myself quite well."_

"I'm going to help you," Ian struggled. "Just hold on."

"N-No," Amy whispered, looking straight past him.

"Amy-"

"I said no," she said, her bottom lip quivering with fear.

"But how will you-"

"No!" she screamed, her eyes filled with tear.

_She's scared_, he thought sadly. _Of me. Of my father. Of all of us. _Dejectedly, he put his hands down and took two steps back, watching her quiver. By herself, she struggled to loosen the rope. "Amy-" She coughed, obviously tired and sick. Without a word, Ian pulled the rope off. Amy didn't even bother to look at him, but walked around to help her brother.

"I'll be waiting in the car," Vikram said casually, as if he hadn't just attempted to kill two minors. Amy was sickened by the thought of him greatly.

"I'll-" Ian opened his mouth, then shut it tight. "I'll go to the car."

Amy didn't even bother to look up. But Dan did. He was confused – why did Ian even bother? Was it possible that maybe he returned the feelings that Amy had for him? _Nah. Who could like my sister? _But the look in his eyes said otherwise, as he slumped back to the car.

"What?" Amy said softly, taking one last pull at the rope before it came loose.

"Nothing," he said, covering up his thoughts. He'll have to talk to Ian later…

Amy looked away, past the already set horizon.

"What?" Dan asked, sensing his sister's worry. He knew what. How could they go back to the place where everyone there was out to get them? It was crazy. But where else could they go?

"Maybe we can stay with Hamilton?" Amy suggested, but even she sounded confused.

"It'd be a trouble for them," Dan admitted. "They don't have as much money as the Kabras… and besides, I don't think the rest of the family likes us as much as Hamilton does."

She sighed. She knew. But in desperate times, desperate thoughts were conjured. "I can't go back."

"I don't want to either, Amy, but –"

"They tried to kill us, Dan."

"It was only their obsessed, deranged father," Dan reminded her.

"Isabel has tried to kill me, too," Amy whispered. "And I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind doing a second try."

Dan couldn't object to that. "But-"

"I'll sleep on it," Amy said, cutting him off. She started to walk off, leaving her brother to run behind her.

* * *

It was an awkward drive back. Amy and Dan tried to avoid any eye contact or physical contact with both Ian and Vikram. Vikram just sat there, looking smug about his almost victory. And Ian desperately wanted to speak to Amy, but had to keep his posture around his father. Besides, she already said she didn't want anything to do with him. And as much as he'd like to say it didn't hurt, it did. More than it ever should.

When they got back, Amy went straight to her room, not uttering a single word. Dan pretended to do the same. But the moment he heard his sister slam the door, he peeked out. The coast was clear. Now, it was time to speak to Ian.

* * *

Lucky for him, Ian wasn't a mourner like Amy. He liked to take strolls in the garden by himself, collecting his thoughts. And that was exactly where Dan found him.

"Hey, Cobra!" Dan yelled, running up to him.

"Daniel, I would much appreciate it if you called us by our real name, seeing as how you are staying at our estate," Ian frowned. But still, it wasn't that that bothered him – it was, like always, Amy.

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Your dad tried to kill us. I can call you whatever I want, Cobra."

Ian sighed. _Point taken. Now what does he want? _Ian did a quick skim of the mind. _Oh. _He didn't like what he read. To sound normal, though, he asked, "What do you want, Daniel?"

"It's Dan," he snapped, but composed himself. "Anyway, I was wondering… what were you doing there anyway, back at the… whatever that place was your dad took us. Let's call it, the carnival of doom."

"How unoriginal," Ian commented, trying to keep composed. He found it very hard though, considering how tired he was. After all, he was on his way to feed, until Dan came along. "I was simply… taking a ride on my motorcycle. Nothing else."

"And you happened to come across us?" Dan asked, unconvinced.

"I can recognize my father's car anywhere," he snapped. _That, and Amy's thoughts…_

Dan frowned. He still wasn't fully convinced. The whole time he was there, he never saw Ian once go out of the estate. Why would he choose today to do it? Dan, by now, was fully convinced this had something to do with his sister.

Ian sensed his thoughts, and lightly bit on his lips unconsciously. "Well, if that is all," Ian said hurriedly, wanting to get away. "I should go now."

"Wait," Dan stopped him. "One more question."

He sighed. "What?"

"You see… I feel like there's something not right about this place. Like, just last night, I heard animal noises outside my window. What, are you guys farmers too?" Dan asked, simply curious this time.

Ian blinked. _Oh no… _"Sure… well, now, I must run along now. I have… animals to farm." _Stupid…_

Dan shrugged, walking off. As soon as he got into the house though, he started running – straight to his sister's room.

* * *

_Well that was a close one,_ Ian thought, relieved. He stepped into the woods now. But, after some time, his vision became blurred… and his steps grew weaker. _No… must keep going. So close… _It was too late. All of Ian's willpower and energy had escaped his unearthly body. He fell to the dirt floor, collapsed from exhaustion.

* * *

"Amy!" Dan exclaimed, rushing through her door.

She frowned. "I swore I locked that."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Whatever! I found something out about the Kabras!"

"I already know they're evil," she sighed, slumping on her bed, hugging a pillow. Her face was red, indicating to Dan that she had been crying before.

"Yeah, I know," he snapped, impatient now. "But I found something else out! Something even bigger!"

"What?" she asked, giving up.

"The Kabras are vampires!"

* * *

**A/N: **Well, finally… heh. Well, you'd know why I was gone if you read my update on my profile… but no one reads those, except LW77 and screamattheskyx3 ;) Um, sorry about that… here's a crappy, un-betaed chapter probably filled with typos. Blehhhhhh. I feel tired now xD Even though I was completely crazy at school. Anyway, sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

Oh, and sorry it's short… I just wanted to get something out. But ohhhh, two cliffhangers :) Am I not evil? Darn... and I just realized this chapter has a lot of line breaks. I'm so sorry you guys... this chapter is not my best work. I hope the next one is better.

"Oh my gosh, this is great! But if we had some nachos, it'd be even greater!"  
- Another Artist

**P.S.** I have a new challenge! :) Not a contest, but a challenge. It'll be after the Another Lovely Contest is over :) And, by the way, the new story form of that is up, and the deadline is June 5th! :)


	16. Funny Fate

**Funny Fate **

"_Funny how Fate messes with us for its own enjoyment. Or, at least it's funny to them."_

Amy's eyes widened in shock at her brother's words. Perhaps if it was any other family, at any other moment, she'd call him crazy. But it was the Kabras and Amy already knew about their secret. She didn't want to worry him, though. Imagine how crazy he'd go if he knew he was living with energy vampires! So she knew she had to pretend that it wasn't true – that the Kabras weren't vampire. Unfortunately, the evidence was against her.

"You're k-kidding, right?" she joked, smiling uneasily as she sat up.

"No! I'm as serious as can be! The Kabras are vampires! I just know it!" Dan argued, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Vampires aren't real, Dan," she pointed out, hoping it'd help her side.

"Neither is a powerful family full of the world's greatest people going on a hunt to control a great source of power!" _How did he come up with that? _Amy thought, frowning. Even if Amy was smart, she was nothing compared to how fast and easy Dan can shoot an argument.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, rolling her eyes. She really hoped he'd let it go.

"I am not!" he frowned, crossing his arms. "All because your stupid boyfriend is one of them doesn't mean you have to stick up for them!" He was really getting irked at the fact that she was siding with them, the enemy.

"I am not siding with them because of that!" she snapped, getting mad at her brother's attitude. "I'm siding with logic!"

"Well, logic is stupid!" Dan yelled back. _That made no sense, _he thought and knew, but still, he had a point to get across.

Amy let out a sigh, already tired of fighting. She knew that fighting with her brother led to no good in the end. "Dan, give it a rest. How could the Kabras be vampires? They're just human beings, like you or me."

Dan pursed his lips, unbelieving of what his sister just said. "You know that they're not like us. You've known it from the start, Amy." Not wanting to hear any more of it, he walked off, leaving his sister speechless.

_When did he get so serious? _she asked herself, frowning._ When did he become more accepting than me? _Tears fell again, and she allowed them to. Her life was crumbling down already, and she knew it.

* * *

Amy couldn't sleep that night. Her pillow was soggy because of her tears, and her mind was racked with tons of thoughts and questions. How could anyone have slept with these problems?

Eventually she dozed off for an hour or so, and awoke around 6 in the morning. It was early, but she had nothing else to do. Perhaps a stroll could clear her mind, she thought.

Getting up, she pulled on her sneakers and a coat, and walked silently out of her room. She didn't want to wake anyone up. Quietly, she found her way to the garden. She tried looking for Clouded Harmony, but she couldn't seem to find her bird companion. With a heavy sigh, she fell to the grass and sat there, her legs crossed.

_How come I'm always the one who messes things up? _She thought dejectedly as she pulled on the beautifully green grass. _Why isn't Dan ever the one to make things bad? It's always me… me, me, me. _She huffed angrily, and stopped picking at the grass. That's when she heard chirping.

Startled, she looked up and there C.H. landed, right before her eyes. She smiled sadly, and whispered, "At least you didn't leave me."

The multi-colored bird chirped in appreciation, and jumped closer. She smiled, reaching out to it, but then it flew up. Taken back, she frowned. "Maybe not..." she murmured. But, the bird still didn't leave. She stood up, and the bird started to fly some more. "What are you doing?" she asked softly, following behind.

The bird just chirped in response, flying on as if waiting for her to follow. She did, and it led her further into the forest surrounding the grand estate.

_Where is it taking me? _she wondered, stepping over a fallen tree. Then, the bird stopped. Squinting because of the dim light, she saw a fallen figure. She gasped, but remained cautious. Slowly, she approached the hooded figure. The person was on their back, so she couldn't see their face clearly. But, as she stepped closer, she recognized the dirtied outfit to be that of Ian's.

"Ian?" she whispered, stepping closer. He didn't reply, but she could hear his shallow breathing. "What happened?" Then, she spotted the shed. She guessed what happened: he must've been on his way to "feed" when he collapsed. She glanced back at the bird who had perched itself on a tree branch, watching from above. Crouching down beside him, she asked, "What do I do?"

The bird chirped, and looked over at the shed. She gulped, following the glance. She could already hear the animals inside, crying, but she knew she'd have to do something to help Ian. He did, regardless of her dislike, save her. Standing up, she made her way to the shed.

She flinched when she saw all the animals, tied up in a shed. They were still alive, but they looked like they were dying. Taking in a deep breath, she found a horse in a stall and untied it, bringing it out. Slowly, she brought it out to Ian and tied it to a tree post close to him. She then walked over to Ian, trying to wake him up.

"Ian," she whispered. "Ian." She shook him softly, hoping he'd get up.

He slowly moved his head, waking up. But he was weak, she knew. Slowly, without a word, he stood up. He towered over her kneeling figure, which frightened her. _He looks… like he's sleepwalking. _His unaware self glanced down at her, took a step forward, but then sense the horse. He made his way over to the horse, and the rest seemed unearthly.

Sleepy Ian placed his hand over the horse, and immediately the horse collapsed, asleep. Eerily, Ian seemed to glow as he stole the energy from the horse. Amy fell back, shocked by the whole ordeal. The noise she made brought attention to Ian, however. He stopped feeding, and turned to Amy. She bit back a startled gasp. Slowly, he made his way over to Amy.

She closed her eyes, terrified to even look. _Oh no! What did I do! Now he's going to take my energy, and-and-_

"Amy?" a hoarse voice asked.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at Ian. He seemed… awake.

"Ian?" she whispered, still cautious.

He seemed to become slowly more aware of his surroundings. "Where am I, Amy? And what are you doing here?"

She didn't know what to say; she didn't really have an answer. "I-I… I found you during my stroll," she said.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "In the woods?"

"I – er – yeah…" she mumbled, rubbing her arms awkwardly.

"That's dangerous," he said, his voice low. His dark eyes watched her intently, trying to analyze her true intentions.

_I see… the bird brought her here. I'm surprised she didn't run when she saw me, though. _

"I kn-know," she stuttered. "But… well…"

"Yeah, the stupid bird brought you here," he remarked dryly, amusement clear in his eyes.

"How-" _Oh… right. I forgot. _"He's not stupid," she finished lamely.

"It's a 'he'?" he questioned.

"Well, I don't really know," she flushed. "But… I guess he is."

"That would be offensive if it was a girl," he pointed out, grinning despite himself.

She flushed even deeper. "I…"

"You're lucky it is a boy," he finished, grinning at her. He knew it was wrong, but she looked so embarrassed… _It's annoyingly cute, _he thought.

She pouted unconsciously. _Too cute, _he thought, frowning now. "I should, um, go now… you can do whatever you need to…" She started to walk off, but he stopped her.

"Wait," he said.

Reluctantly, she stopped her steps. Slowly and anxiously, she turned around to face him, biting down on her bottom lip nervously. "Yes?"

"Wait," he repeated, stammering up. "I'll walk you back."

Her eyes widened in horror. _Am I that scary? _he thought dryly. "N-No! It's fine! You must be, er, hungry."

"I just fed."

"Oh."

"Yeah – oh."

Awkwardly, she started walking once more. He followed behind her. _What do I say now? She obviously is in no mood to speak to me, and I don't blame her. I'd be terrified of her if her father tried to kill me… well, maybe not. I _am _a Kabra. _

"Thank you," Amy suddenly said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What?" He blinked.

"Thank you," she repeated, flushed. "I, um, never thanked you… for saving me."

_No, you didn't. You yelled at me to go away, tears in your green eyes. _He didn't say anything though; he was just waiting for her to continue.

Realizing this, she rushed on. "So, yeah, thanks. I'm sorry, too, for yelling at you. And I didn't mean to be so harsh – it was just traumatizing. But I do appreciate it. Without you, me and my brother probably would have –"

"You're welcome," Ian interrupted.

She looked up at her, her green eyes big. "Wha-"

"You're welcome," he repeated irritably. _She better turn away now, before I go crazy… those stupid eyes of hers. _

She smiled wobbly at him. He couldn't help but smirk back at her.

They continued walking silently. Amy was never good with silence, especially awkward silence. Neither was Ian, but he would rather keep it that way.

"I also want to thank you for taking us in."

He let out a sigh. _Girl's trying to kill me. _"You're welcome," he muttered.

She played with her hands, her eyes cast downward. "I, um, never asked this before… but why did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked warily. This girl tired him, he knew, but he couldn't turn her down.

"Take us in."

"I don't know." Truth be told, he really didn't.

"Oh," she said

_She sounds disappointed, _Ian noted curiously. He couldn't help but take another peek at her thoughts.

_Oh, I sounded so sad! Why did I sound sad? Now he's going to think I care or something…. Why did I do this anyway? I could've just left him there. But… I know I wouldn't have. I couldn't do that to someone who had saved me and my brother, regardless of our past… _

He frowned. Something came over in him, and he suddenly blurted, "I cared."

She blinked, looking over at him. "What?"

"You asked why. My answer is because I cared," he said. He couldn't believe his own words, but it was too late to take them back.

She opened her mouth but shut it again. She found it better not to respond in cases like these.

But, even with the awkwardness between the two, something new had blossomed on that walk. Something that sparked the two of them to stop fighting, and just give it a chance.

* * *

**A/N: **… this chapter was so annoying to write. I think Ian, Amy, and Dan are slightly OOC… which bugs me. I think Ian sounds annoyingly tired and arrogant at times, and Amy desperate. And Dan's too serious. Meh. That kind of explains why I took so long to update this story.

Haha, so… I realized that I've had this crappy chapter done for maybe a week and I forgot to post it xD Yeah, you can boo at me and whatever for being so stupid :)

So… PBG IS BACK! Well, she was always here, but she can beta again :D Yeah... but she didn't beta this chapter, because I didn't want to delay it because I felt so bad (above statement).

Like always, unbetaed, probably full of typos, and ya-da ya-da. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading. CC is appreciated and pointing out mistakes would be nice. Now, why do I ask for you guys to point out mistakes? Because I'm going to actually edit this xD I know it doesn't seem like it, but I've already started to :D Thanks again!

"Things always seem less crazy when you're with friends."  
- Another Artist

P.S. Sorry it's short :(

P.P.S. Haha, my quotes are making less and less sense (the ones at the top, and the ones I use as my signature).


	17. Days Grow Friendlier

**Days Grow Friendlier**

_"Smile every minute of the day. You never know who's falling in love with it." – Anonymous

* * *

_

After that awkward meeting in the woods, things cooled down between Ian and Amy. Amy convinced Dan to give up on his "vampire" theory, even though he never really did. Jasmine became angrier and angrier at the bond Amy and Ian seemed to have been creating, but despite her tries, she couldn't separate them. And soon, Amy and Ian were, as scary as it may sound, friends.

* * *

"You're ridiculous," Amy sighed, leaning against the chair in her room.

"I am not! I'm sure of it!" Dan argued, frowning.

"How would he even know?"she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… I might've let it slip when we were playing video games the other day," he admitted sheepishly, looking away.

Amy's jaw dropped. "What? Dan! How could you do that?"

"It was by accident!" he argued, crossing his arms.

"How does my birthday slip out by accident," Amy scowled, throwing a pillow at him.

He caught it though, and held onto it. "Well, it's in two days, ya know?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course I know."

"Besides, what's so bad out it if he knew?" Dan asked, analyzing his sister. Despite his sister's newfound friendship with Ian, he still didn't trust the Kabras or the Liones. He believed they were blood-sucking vampires out to get his sister and him. But, he wouldn't tell Amy; not again, he knew. He'd settle with keeping quiet and watching from afar.

"Because, then he'd feel obliged to buy me a present! As if they haven't done enough, letting us stay here," Amy said, throwing her arms up, exasperated.

"Don't flatter yourself," Dan laughed. "He might not get you anything."

Amy threw another pillow at him. "I was not flattering myself!"

Dan grinned, and stood up. Suddenly, he started batting his eyes and, in a high voice mimicking his sisters, he said, "I bet Ian's going to buy me a ring! Oh, I hope he does! Then we can get married, and live happily ever after!"

Amy blushed, and stood up. "If you're going to make fun of me, I'm going to leave."

Dan was too busy laughing and clutching his stomach from the pain to even notice his sister leaving.

As Amy walked over to her room, she heard footsteps coming up the stairway beside hers and her brother's room. She expected Vikram or Isabel, even Natalie, but instead, it was Jasmine and Ian. She thought he was out on an errand, or at least that's what she was told.

"We're just friends," she heard Ian say in an exasperated tone.

She didn't hear a reply from Jasmine, but soon Ian spoke again.

"Stop being so foolish, Jasmine. You know that we –"

Ian's eyes widened as he saw Amy about to enter her room, but not quite yet. She was stuck at the doorknob, sheepishly listening to them. She knew he probably saw her, and was about to head straight into her room and lock the door, when he spoke to her.

"Good afternoon Amy," he said, nodding at her.

She turned around slowly to meet his brown eyes with her green ones. She tried to ignore the glares burning into her from Jasmine.

"Afternoon," she mumbled, flushed.

Ian looked over at Jasmine, who seemed keen on staying with them. "Jasmine, do you mind giving us a mo-"

"I do mind, in fact," she snapped, crossing her arms. "I'm sure you can say whatever you wanted to say to her with me here."

Ian let out a sigh and looked back over to Amy. "So, Amy, your brother told me your birthday is in two days. Is that correct?"

She nodded, her flush growing deeper in color. "But it's nothing special," she said quickly. "It'll be just like any other day."

Ian raised an eyebrow, and took the time to read her thoughts. They were everywhere. _So she doesn't want a party or gifts? _he deducted from his search. _Strange, but I can oblige… mostly. _"Right," he agreed.

Jasmine noticed this strange talk, and wanted to know what Ian was thinking so badly. _Ian! _She yelled at him through thoughts. _What is this about? _

Ian's calm features turned into a scowl. "Nothing," he hissed. He looked back at Amy and his face softened a bit. "I'll talk to you later Amy."

She nodded, relieved to be let off the hook. As quickly as she could, she made her way to her room. How she hated how flustered she got whenever he was around.

* * *

"I need your help."

Dan burst out laughing. He could barely breathe as he kept laughing. "Y-You!" – he breathed – "need help" – more wheezing – "from _me?_"

Ian gritted his teeth together, and tried to keep patient. "Yes."

He kept laughing, not even caring about what Ian needed.

"Well?" he snapped, impatient now. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"With what?" he asked, tiring down but still chuckling.

"Planning something for your sister's birthday," he replied.

"She doesn't want anything."

"Yeah, but we have to do something," he insisted.

"Not really," Dan said with a shrug. "Amy doesn't like celebrating her birthday that much."

_How unusual_, Ian thought. _Who doesn't like celebrating their birthday? _

"So I suggest you just let that day slip you by."

Ian rolled his eyes. _If he won't tell me, then I'll find out myself. _He quickly skimmed Dan's mind, searching for anything about Amy. _Aha! She… wants a book? What? But we have all the books she could ever – oh. I see.

* * *

_

Days passed, and Amy's birthday arrived.

"Good morning, Amy," Ian greeted as she entered the dining hall.

"Hello," she says, sitting down beside Dan. Quietly, she grabs a croissant and tears pieces at it, nibbling on them.

"It's a fine day, right Amy?" he asked casually.

Dan scoffed, but Amy nodded.

"I guess it is. But it's just like any other day." She looked at him, curious and suspicious.

"No it isn't," Natalie piped up. "Today, my –"

"I suppose it is," Ian agreed with Amy, interrupting his sister.

Natalie crossed her arms, letting out a breath of air in anger.

Amy continued eating, oblivious of Ian's plans.

_What are you doing? _Natalie asked Ian, glaring at him.

_Nothing, _he replied nonchalantly. _Now go and eat. _

Natalie huffed, pushing her chair back. _I'm not hungry._

He stared at her, unfeeling. _Not my problem. _

_What is it now? _Jasmine interrupted. _You know, I'm getting really sick of this. You guys always leave me out of things – and I'm practically family!_

_Practically, _Ian said to himself.

"Yes, we know Jasmine," he told her. "We were just talking about the breakfast."

Jasmine glared at him, unbelieving.

_Don't lie. _

"Believe me or not," he snapped, impatient.

Jasmine crossed her arms, glaring at him.

Amy finished up her croissant and excused herself, feeling awkward in their still environment. Dan followed afterwards, carrying with him some muffins and croissants.

"What was that about?" Dan asked as he munched on a muffin, following his sister out to the garden.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but they always do this."

He nodded. "Freaky."

Dan went to go play some basketball, a sport he came to love at the estate, and Amy went over to her small area of grass where she'd sit down and take in the scenery.

She laid down, propping herself up on her elbows. The nearby flowers were, as always, fresh smelling. She noticed, after some time, that there weren't that many bugs in the estate. She wondered why, but never bothered asking anyone.

This time, near the flowers, was a book.

_That's weird, _she thought. _Did someone leave their book here? _She leaned over to look closer, and let out a gasp.

It was When You Give a Mouse a Cookie…, the book she'd been dying to get since she was younger and first read it. She never got it though, because she knew she should spend her money on books that would help her rather than amuse her. It wasn't a regular copy though – it was a hardback copy with a pretty cover and inside, the author's signature. She didn't even know they made such fancy copies for a children's book.

"Like it?" Ian asked, approaching her with his hands in his pockets.

She nodded. "Wow. Is it yours?" she asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "It's yours."

Her eyes widened. "No – no! It's fine! I mean, you didn't have to – oh, right, my birthday! And, well – it's okay, I said – and –"

Ian's chuckling made her stop. "It's fine, Amy. It's just a book."

It wasn't just a book to her though. It was the first book she ever read by herself.

"But –"

"Take it," he insisted.

Amy stood up now, holding the book. "Thank you, Ian."

He smiled the smile he reserved only for her and nodded. "Happy Birthday, Amy"

She smiled back, the smile that took he loved seeing. She put the book down, and stepped forward to put her arms around him in a hug.

They both froze.

_Oh my gosh, why did I do that? _

_She's hugging me…!_

Ian felt Amy's thoughts in a rush because they were so close. He felt all of her embarrassment and anxiety, and he wanted to laugh because he felt the same way. He felt stupid at the same time though – acting this way because of a hug. So, to cover up his own embarrassment, he put his arms around her and pulled her in closer.

It was a real hug then, with both of their arms around each other. They looked at peace momentarily, just standing there together.

And Ian decided, right then, to tell her everything. _Everything. _

* * *

**A/N: **OMG, we're getting closer to a very SPECIAL part :D HAHA, CLIFFHANGER! I am, lyke, so hyper. Did you catch how I spelled 'like'? LYKE! MUAHAHA… yeah, I don't understand this hyperness either :D I guess I'm so darn happy it's getting closer to THE END! Well… not really, actually. Like, not at all… there are nine chapters left o.O I think I'm going to go bury myself in a hole now…

What an awkward chapter, xD I just realized that.

Wow, now that I think about it, this story has gotten a lot of reviews… why? I honestly didn't even expect to get to a hundred reviews, but we're practically reaching three hundred soon. Wow… I wonder how far we'll be in the end.

And, to lily, I used your idea, like I said I would. But I kind of made it less random. :)

Anyway, I have written almost all of the chapters needed to finish the story already (four other chapters). I need to write about two-three more chapters, then I need to read them over, then I will post them. Happy, you guys? Meh...

I appreciate the reviews and your feedback. I can't believe that, even after the time since I've updated, I'm still getting reviews. You guys always amaze me, really.

Unbetaed (it's two in the morning in the US right now; PBG is definitely not awake. Same thing applies if she lives in Canada - I don't know where she lives; I don't stalk her...), but I reread it (because I do that when I can't think of anything to write). Still, please point out any weird wordings or whatever :)

"Why speak when they won't listen?"  
- Another Artist


	18. We Talk, but You Walked

**We Talk, but You Walked**

"I finally get the nerve to tell you everything, and you run away. Typical."

* * *

"Amy, I have to tell you something."

Amy pulled away now, her face red, and stumbled to keep a distance. Ian, a bit disappointed, helped by stepping back.

"Y-Yes?" she asked, trying to cover up her flustering but failing.

"I like you," he said slowly.

She blinked, not fully understanding. "Okay…"

"As in, more than a friend," he continued, watching her face.

_More than a friend… _she thought, frowning. _Why is he lying?_

"I'm not lying," he insisted upon reading the thought. "I really do like you that way."

_I heard what he said that night when he told me everything… he said he didn't care. He said it was for revenge. Not for me. _She felt like she was going to break at that moment, from those harsh memories and that scary present.

"I know what I said," he kept going. "But I only said it because my father was there listening. If he knew… then we'd both be at risk. You especially." His dark eyes kept their intense stare.

"I don't …" she said softly, shaking her head.

If he was any other boy telling any other girl, he'd think that she didn't like him. But this was Ian and she was Amy, and he knew better than she herself that she liked him. Or, at least, he hoped he did.

"Amy, please," he pleaded. "Just give me a chance."

She shook her head some more. "I'm sorry, Ian. Thank you, for your gift. But I have to go." She grabbed her book and rushed out of the garden, leaving Ian alone to himself.

She wanted to cry, but she didn't want to ruin her book or give away her feelings. She fled back to her room and shut the door behind her.

_He's lying, _she insisted, placing her book on the nightstand and climbing into bed. _He has to be lying. Maybe he wants to get Jasmine mad now, or even Natalie. Maybe –_

"Knock-knock," came a melodic voice at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked shakily, still recovering from the talk.

"Jasmine."

_Great, _Amy sighed. "I'm kind of busy right now, so can you come back later or –"

"Just open the door," she snapped.

Amy got off her bed reluctantly, breathed, and walked over to the door. She opened it, and there Jasmine was, in her flawless beauty. Amy was already feeling horrible, but seeing Jasmine made her feel even worse.

"Hello Amy," Jasmine said, staring at her.

"Hi Jasmine," she responded in a not-as-strong voice.

"I saw you and Ian in the garden earlier today, chatting." She pretended as if she didn't care, though inside she was boiling.

"Yeah," she said, suddenly emotionless when he was brought up. "He gave me a book."

"Whatever," Jasmine snapped, her act broken. "The point is that I want you to stay away from my fiancé. Got it?" That stare turned into a full on glare, complete with poisonous daggers.

"Yes," she responded. _I already planned on that anyway. _

"Good. Now that we have an understanding" – she glared at Amy one last time – "I better not see you two together alone again." And with that, she walked away.

Amy shut the door behind her.

_Two strikes in a row. I'm almost out.

* * *

_

The next day, and the days following, Amy did her best to steer clear from Ian. She'd lock herself up in her room, or choose a different part of the garden to stay at. She tried to keep her mind clear so he couldn't pick up her thoughts either. Occasionally, she'd even hang around Dan, hoping his crazy thoughts would block out her own worrying ones.

That day, she was in the garden by one of the gazebos, trying to write. She didn't know what she was going to write, nor did she care, but she had a notebook and a pencil.

Natalie approached her as she was staring at the blank piece of paper.

"So, my brother's been going on and on about you ignoring him."

Amy looked up to see the dark haired girl, looking around as if it was the first time she'd been in her own garden. It wouldn't surprise Amy if it wasn't one of the first times – Natalie was not a very outdoorsy person, it seemed.

"I haven't been ignoring him," she lied miserably. "I just haven't found the need to talk to him, that's all."

Natalie looked back at the older girl and rolled her eyes. "Don't lie. I can tell, you know."

_Right, _Amy thought with a sigh.

Natalie walked over to sit on the other side of the bench, crossing her legs when she got there and pulling her skirt down. "You know, Ian never takes much interest in girls."

_Could've fooled me with Jasmine here._

"She's his arranged fiancée – not much he can do."

Amy sighed, knowing she was right. This was a bit weird to her, because Natalie was never really right in Amy's eyes until then.

Natalie grinned satisfactorily and continued. "As I was saying, he never really liked paying attention to girls. He'd rather stick to learning or doing something that waste his time, he said. But then you came and suddenly he'd rather talk to you than learn."

She looked at Amy for some kind of sign that she was listening and taking this in. Amy just sat there, wordless.

"Then, when he finally decides to speak of his feelings, you shut him out," she said, sounding as if she was simply stating a fact about plants rather than being accusing.

Amy didn't have the heart to argue – she knew it was true.

"Tell me, Amy," Natalie asked casually. "_Do _you have feelings for Ian?"

_Do you really have to ask? _she asked miserably, covering her face with her hands.

"No," Natalie replied, a smirk creeping onto her features. And with that, she walked off, leaving Amy to her thoughts.

_When did she get so… emotional, _Amy thought, shaking her head.

"When she got tired of listening to my thoughts from across the room," a new but just as silky voice answered.

She didn't have to look up to know who it was. That voice was hardwired into her brain, it felt like.

Ian was hesitant at first to approach Amy, but his sister had insisted that they speak. She was going crazy listening to him think to himself during the night.

"So…" he said, staring at her expectantly. "You've changed your spot, I see."

"Yes," she replied quietly, playing with her hands. Even if she wanted to talk to Ian, she still wanted time.

"You still haven't given me an answer," he finally said.

"To what?" she asked, wary.

"My statement."

_Statements aren't questions, and they therefore do not need an answer, _she thought, knowing he'd hear. She knew that if she said it out loud, her voice might break from a sentence that long.

"Yes, but my statement needed a response," he said with a nod. "This one especially."

Amy bit her lip. _I don't know._

He stared at her, frustrated now. "You do know," he said hastily, making it almost sound like he snapped at her. "You've known for as long as I've known – or maybe even longer. So what is holding you back?" He wanted to shake the girl until she'd say something, but he still felt as if she was too fragile to do so. But how she frustrated him at times like this.

"I know," she said slowly, recollecting her thoughts. She didn't seem hurt by Ian's outtake on her response. "But I'm afraid that if I say it out loud..." _… that you'll see you don't really want me anymore, or that you never even cared in the beginning._

He wanted to hug her at that moment. And he did – what Kabra would turn down a challenge? He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her stiffen, but he kept his grip. He had to convince her he knew what he felt.

"I've heard it already, in your mind," he told her. "And no matter how many times I've heard it, it's never changed my mind."

"Then why do you need to hear it now?" she mumbled into his shoulder.

"To ensure it."

She was quiet for a moment, and he thought he almost lost her again.

But then she looked up, and said four words that sealed it all:

"I like you, Ian."

* * *

It didn't change anything on the outside, them admitting their feelings, but it changed everything on the inside. Amy felt relieved to finally let it out, and Ian was relieved to finally hear it. Even so, knowing that someone likes you doesn't make you two a couple.

After her words of admittance, Ian let her go and Amy scurried off to her room. She felt exhausted after that, and she was ready to sleep now. And sleep well, she knew, now that she and Ian had settled their feelings.

But Ian wasn't ready for a good night sleep.

Ian was ready for a trip.

But he had to say goodbye to a certain somebody.

In the midst of the night before he was to leave, he snuck into her room. Picking a lock was easy for him – he'd done it as a child when he wanted something that was in a room he wasn't allowed in. His parents got smart and changed the locks to more updated versions but he kept his talent.

He made his way to her bed and looked down on her as she slept. Rather than peaceful, she looked happy in her sleep. He stayed there for some time, simply watching.

Finally, he knew he had to leave.

"I'm sorry, Amy," he said softly. "Goodbye."

And he left into the night, thinking he'd never see those jade eyes again.

* * *

**A/N: **I is sorry; the chapter is short-ish, but I combined two short chapters into one at least? But it needed a cliffhanger – because I is evil. So, anyone have any guesses why he's leaving? It's actually already been subtly said in earlier chapters, but can anyone remember or spot it? Please leave any guesses you may have ;)

Unbetaed (hopefully PBG doesn't mind, because she was supposed to beta this at first, but then, after she had the DocX, something went wrong, so I don't want to trouble her even further). I DID read over it though, and I corrected any weird things.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and thanks for all the feedback.

"From afar, we're all the same. What does it matter - our skin, our race, our looks?"  
- Another Artist


	19. Forever Forgotten

**Forever Forgotten  
**

"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever." - Winnie the Pooh

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Dan asked aloud, his eyes scanning the corridor. When Dan woke up that morning, he realized that the house sounded too eerily quiet. It wasn't very characteristic for the Kabra's house to ever be so quiet. There were always maids and butlers running around, cooks cooking, and guards guarding. Sometimes he'd even hear Gabriel and Brian laughing as they walked out to play a game of basketball or something. So - where was everyone now?

"Dan?" he heard his sister call from the second floor quietly.

"I'm in the living room!" he answered.

He could hear his sister's feet hit the stairs softly as they made their way down and finally touch the tiles on the first floor. "_Sh_," she scolded, finding her brother. "People might still be sleeping." The older girl was still fixing her hair, combing her fingers through it lazily.

"No one's asleep because no one's here!" he announced, throwing his hands up in frustration. How could his sister not have noticed it by then? And she yelled at _him _for not paying attention.

"I just saw one of the maids earlier today," she replied, rolling her eyes. "All because there's no one there to wake you up doesn't mean everyone's gone missing, Dan."

It was his turn to roll his eyes at his sister. "Sure, but have you seen any of the Cobras? Or the Lions?"

Amy ignored her brother's use of their childish nicknames. "Well, no, but -"

"Exactly! They're not here! None of them!"

"Not even Ian?" she couldn't help but ask, though she knew how her brother would react.

"No, not even your boyfriend," he replied, rolling his eyes again.

Amy sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know where they we- wait, when was the wedding again?"

"What wedding?" Dan asked, forgetful.

"Ian and Jasmine's."

"Oh, right. I don't know." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I bet that's where they all are," Amy deducted. "I mean, it makes sense. That's why almost everyone would be gone, right?"

Dan nodded. "I guess, but wouldn't they tell us? - Wait, no, they wouldn't, because they're all lying, rude people."

Amy stared at her brother, an eyebrow raised. "'Lying, rude people'?" she quoted, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well, excuse me for not having an insult off the top of my brain," he muttered, crossing his arms.

Amy rolled her eyes, not bothering to reply. She didn't want to talk about it anymore, either way. She should've known Ian would do something like this - make her admit her feelings, and then run away. She wanted to laugh bitterly, but resisted the urge. Dan would ask what was wrong, and she would have to make up some excuse. She was in no mood for that.

"I'm going to get something to eat," Amy said, walking off towards the kitchen.

Dan followed behind her, looking at her, confused.

"What?" Amy asked, glancing at her younger brother with annoyance. She was in no mood to put up with questions at that moment.

"Aren't you going to do something about it?" he asked, watching as she made a ham sandwich. She slammed the sliced meat from the fridge into the sloppily laid out bread, smacked on some mayonnaise, and place the second layer of bread on hastily. He'd never seen Amy make a sandwich with such anger and frustration, besides that one time she got a B on her project for not speaking loud enough during the oral presentation.

"What can I do?" she asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich and leaning against the counter. Though her form was cool, her eating was full of hate and anger, Dan sensed.

"Follow them?" he offered.

He watched as she chewed quickly and forced herself to swallow so she could reply. "They've been engaged for longer than we've even known them, Dan. I can't do anything about that, and I sure won't stop them. And besides" - she pointed her hand with the sandwich towards him - "I thought you don't like Ian."

"I don't," Dan answered, grinning. "But I figured, if you guys got married, I could keep the video games."

Amy rolled her eyes, standing up to walk out of the kitchen. "Tough luck, Dan."

_Maybe I could leave now, _Amy thought to herself as she made her way to the backyard. _I'm eighteen, after all, and that means Dan and I could go off by ourselves now. _The thought was soon washed away by reality. She knew they couldn't survive without a place to live, food to eat, water to drink, and money. Who was she fooling? _This may be the first time I've ever actually missed Aunt Beatrice... I'm going crazy._

As soon as she sat on the grass, her familiar friend made its way towards her, landing upon the nearby flowers. It inched closer to her, its eyes asking: _What are you doing here? Why aren't you going after him?_

She wanted to laugh for thinking a bird can even ask her a question. _Definitely crazy. _

"How are you?" she asked it instead, her voice soft as she watched it.

It didn't look very pleased though. It felt ignored now, and wanted to know an answer. When it realized that its friend would've provide an answer, C.H. knew that it'd have to take this into its own hands for now. This was somewhat disappointing to the bird, seeing as how it thought that its friend was smarter than that.

Amy watched as the small bird flew off quietly and let out a sigh. "Even C.H. leaves me," she mumbled to herself. She was standing up when she heard footsteps approach her. She thought it was Dan, of course, coming to get her to do something. She admitted to herself that a part of her hoped it was Ian, who had hid so that he wouldn't marry Jasmine, but she knew she was wrong before she even turned around.

Though, she never thought it'd be a Lione.

"Brian?"

The handsome blond version of his sister was standing in front of her, as charming as ever. He had a smile on his face - the one the Lione males were known for.

"Hi Amy. How are you?" he asked, asking as if there was nothing wrong.

This, of course, led to her wondering why he was still there, rather than at his sister's wedding. Again, a short spark of hope held her heart, thinking that maybe the wedding wasn't that day and Amy could still have time with Ian and that maybe Ian and Jasmine weren't there because they were shopping. _Hah. Yeah, _shopping, Amy thought miserably."I'm fine..." she said, watching him, unsure of how to react.

"That's good," he noted, nodding. "So, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the wedding?"

_So he does know about it, _she thought, the young spark of hope sparked into nothingness. "I, um, wasn't notified," she said quietly, casting her eyes downward, embarrassed. It must have sounded so awkward to hear that she wasn't invited to the wedding.

Brian raised an eyebrow. "What? No way. But you and Ian look like you guys are best friends."

Amy almost laughed. _Ian doesn't have friends... only people he uses and people he's against. _Not knowing what to say, she simply nodded slowly, while shrugging, which made her look incredibly unsure of herself.

"Right..." Brian said, not sure of how to interpret her movement. "Well, I was just about to go to their wedding. You want to come with me? I'm sure they just forgot to wake you guys up, with all of the rush."

_Yeah, _Amy thought, rolling her eyes. That_'s why__._ "It's fine, Brian. Have fun, though, at the wedding..."

Brian frowned now, staring at her. "Are you sure? Dan's going."

Amy raised an eyebrow now. "What? Dan's going? When did you see him?"

"Before I came out here. He's the one who told me where to find you."

_This would be a great time for Dan to be here, so I can strangle him for telling Brian. _"Oh," was all she managed.

Right as Brian opened his mouth to say something when Dan interrupted.

"Hurry _up_! I do not want to miss the cake!" they could hear Dan scream from inside of the house.

Brian's lips quirked at this. "He reminds me of a younger me," he commented.

_I'm sure he does, _Amy wanted to reply, but didn't, in fear of being portrayed as rude. "I don't kno-"

"She says yes!" Dan interrupted. "Now let's go before I grow old here and am soon married myself!"

Amy was definitely about to strangle her brother.

~`'~

For most of the ride, it was just trees and the road. Dan and Amy thought it would never end. Dan was pretty sure his sister was giving him the evil eye the entire ride there, and Amy was pretty sure she was about to throw-up from the pressure. She didn't exactly like the idea of showing up at a wedding, uninvited... especially Ian's wedding.

But when they arrived, they knew at once that that was the place. It was packed full of people, yet it was practically in the middle of nowhere.

_I doubt Jasmine liked the idea of having a wedding in the forest, _Amy thought wryly. She took a look around at all of the strangers that filled the place and gulped. She really hoped she and her brother wouldn't attract attention, as they almost always did at public places because of Dan's big mouth.

The vast area was surrounded by trees, but well lit by the natural sun. The color theme was light colors: a mixture of white and gold. It reminded her a lot of the Liones, rather than the Kabras. Everything matched, and was laid out in an intricate way. It had to have been Jasmine's wedding, Amy knew from one look.

"I'm going to find the snack table," Dan murmured, sneaking away from the group.

Amy watched him go, still glaring. It was his fault that she was there, and now he was leaving her! With Brian! She could already see herself, in her mind, hitting her brother with a bat. A big bat.

"I guess we should go - oh, hey Jasmine," Brian said, noticing his sister approaching, a glint in her eye that Amy could only describe as evil. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?" He eyed her outfit: a simple, white dress, but definitely not her wedding dress.

"I was just about to go get ready, Brian," she snapped, glaring at him then at Amy. "Until I saw _her_ here."

"What? Amy's cool," Brian insisted, frowning at his sister.

At that moment, Amy was definitely relieved that Brian was there. She didn't know how well she would be against Jasmine without him.

Jasmine rolled her eyes at her brother's 'foolishness' and pushed him aside. "What are you doing here? I warned you to back off."

Amy opened her mouth to reply when Brian interrupted once more.

"What do you mean you 'warned her to back off'?" he asked, scrutinizing his sister.

"It's none of your business," Jasmine snapped, glaring at him.

"Amy's my friend and -"

"I don't care, Brian," she hissed. "I'm family, remember? And blood runs thicker than water."

Brian wanted to argue, but he knew it was true: family was family, whether you liked it or not. Unsure, he stepped back, eyeing Amy the whole time to make sure she was alright.

Jasmine resumed her business then, turning back towards Amy. "As I was saying, I told you to back off, and yet, you're here."

"I didn't want to come," she said quietly, looking down. And it was true - she didn't. It really wasn't fair that she was paying the price for it.

Jasmine laughed harshly. "I don't care! You're _here_ at _my _wedding, _uninvited._"

"I -"

"I didn't say you could speak," she snapped, belittling Amy once more. She looked towards the gate, her eyes set. _Guards! Take her away! _she told them telepathically. They nodded once, approaching the small group. They seized Amy by the arms, and she was too shocked to object.

_This is like a bad drama film, _she thought dejectedly to herself as they dragged her off to who knows where.

They ended up taking her to a secluded tent somewhere out in the wilderness. She found this ridiculous, because a tent was hardly secure for a prisoner. But she supposed it was because it would've taken them some time to make actual rooms out in the forest, with all the trees and such. This led her to ponder how they went to the bathroom, but the thought was soon washed away with thoughts of how to escape.

_Though it shouldn't be hard in a tent, _she thought, rolling her eyes. They had handcuffed her, which she found annoying and itchy. They also tied her to a chair, which was also very pesky she learned. _Definitely a bad drama film. _

She heard footsteps outside once more, which she assumed was the guards who had found Dan smooching off all of their food. But when the tent door flew open, it wasn't two husky, unshaved guards at the door, but two handsome young men.

"Yikes," Gabriel muttered under his breath. "This is some poor security."

Brian walked in, untying Amy from the chair and unlocking the handcuffs. "I am so sorry, Amy. I didn't know my sister hated you - and I definitely didn't think she'd lock you up."

"In a tent, for that matter," Gabriel added, looking around while shaking his head. "Really? Couldn't we have planned better security after all those years of planning?"

Brian looked up at his brother and said, "Remember? They got rid of all of that so that Jasmine and Ian could marry sooner. It was planned after Mr. Kabra came back from his - what was it? Outing?"

Gabriel snorted. "Right. I don't know where he went - nothing's here."

"Yeah," Brian agreed, nodding. "Do you remember, A- wait, you weren't around that day. Hey, where'd you go anyway?"

Amy was listening, confused. She doesn't remember any of that. _Unless they mean the day Vikram tried killing us, _Amy thought, shuddering at the memory. It was one of those memories that she had tried to keep hidden, in fear of bringing back any other fears triggered by that day.

"Um, I was... around," she lied quietly, focusing on the ground rather than the brothers.

"We should head back now," Gabriel said, changing the subject. "Before Jasmine suspects something."

"Always so suspicious," Brian said, shaking his head. "Can't even trust her own brothers."

Gabriel raised any eyebrow. "Well, we are breaking out her prisoner."

Brian paused, thinking. "Right... but, that's beside the point. She barely even trusted us before this."

Gabriel shrugged, stepping out of the tent. "That's how she is. Now let's get going already."

Brian followed behind his brother, and Amy behind him. But instead of focusing on the two before her's conversation, she was worried about what would happen when she got back to the wedding.

~`'~

The moment Dan had seen Jasmine making her way towards them, he knew that he would have to act quickly. He had to go off and find Ian himself, because Amy wouldn't be strong enough, especially with Jasmine around. As much as he hated to admit it, the Cobra made his sister happy. And when his sister's happy, he can get away with almost anything. So, for him, it's a win-win situation.

There were a lot of people he didn't recognize, but most had either dark looks or light looks. As if they were all either Kabras or Liones, which they probably were, Dan deducted.

He found a tent sort of looking place towards the back, with a fancy shaped 'K' on it. It was surprisingly big for a tent, and it was red, just like the Lucian symbol. _It must be the Cobras'_, Dan knew. Making sure no one saw, he pushed himself into the tent.

"Go away," came Ian's voice. He was turned away from the entrance. From the back, you could tell he was wearing his tuxedo already, and that he was ready to go out there and marry everyone's dream girl. Or, almost everyone's dream girl.

"It's me," Dan snapped, rolling his eyes.

Ian turned around slowly, confused. "Daniel, what are you -"

"There's no time for that," Dan interrupted.

"No time for what?" Ian asked warily. He was in no mood for Dan's nonsense sort of speech.

"Questions!" Dan answered, exasperated as he threw his arms up. "Now, I didn't drag my sister all the way here with pretty boy out there just so you can mope in this tent. Let's go!"

Ian knew from the moment he first saw Dan that he was here with his sister. He was surprised to find out it was his idea though. He was pretty sure the boy hated him, and he felt as if the feeling was mutual.

"You're here to rescue me, I assume," Ian deadpanned.

"Me? No," Dan said. "I'm here to rescue my sister, which only you can do." It cut him like a knife saying those traitorous words. He stared at Ian expectantly, his arms crossed. "Well? Let's go before someone finds out or thinks something suspicious!"

Ian stayed put. "I can't go," he said, rolling his eyes. _Stupid boy thinks it's easy?_ "I'm supposed to marry Jasmine."

Dan stared at him, his look saying: _Are you serious, Cobra? _

Ian stared back at him. "Quite serious, Daniel. If I don't marry Jasmine, I could be disowned."

"Oh," Dan said, as if everything made sense even though it didn't. "So, money means more to you than my sister? Great! Now, I can go tell her I was right all along." He moved to say he was going to leave, even though he knew he wouldn't.

Ian knew he wouldn't either. Instead, they stayed there, staring at each other for what seemed like eternity, both set on changing the other's mind. Neither thought this would stop.

Then an out-of-breath, green-eyed girl rushed through the door.

* * *

**A/N: **The original version of this chapter was surprisingly (well, not really surprising) crappy and lacking, so I had to re-do it all because I was disappointed in myself. Apparently, that is the price you pay for trying to dish out three chapters in one day, like I did those weeks before.

... and I've said this before, but this story - ALL of it - will be revised. I started that some time ago... I might make actual changes, but for now, I'm sticking to fixing grammar and spelling issues, and so on. I'm going to try not to change the plot so people won't have to reread anything... but I might add or take out things to make the story make more sense or things like that.

I was going to make the next chapters Winnie the Pooh quotes (because I love them...) but never mind. They all work too perfectly :) Ah, Winnie the Pooh and his words of sheer wisdom.

"I like to fool myself into thinking I'm special, when in truth, I am not."  
- Another Artist

**P.S. **While reading, try to imagine Klbooks and Dove's Wings chanting, with pitchforks in hand, "CRASH IT! CRASH IT!" repeatedly. :) They found out why Ian ran away, though I gave them a hint... because they made me a supar awesome story. xD ANYWAY, for those who still don't fully understand, check chapter fourteen of this story for a clarification.

**P.P.S. **... and really guys? Why would Ian run off to kill himself? (Shakes head.) Readers these days... always assuming the worst. But I liked reading your frantic reviews; they amuse me.

**P.P.P.S. **... Yeah, Books, this is one day early. Hah. OH, and to spare you guys another P.S., this was UNBETAED, but READ OVER by myself. Why, you may ask?... because everyone's busy... haha. Everyone being PBG, though I don't blame her. This week was quite frantic.


	20. I Do

**I Do**

"If I had to choose someone to spend the rest of my life with, I'd choose you without hesitation."

* * *

Her breath was uneven and her hair was scattered over her face, but her eyes were determined. Dan thought she'd really let Ian have it – but he was wrong.

"Dan!" she yelled, storming towards him. "You left me! With _Jasmine_! You scared me half to death! If you ever –"

"You're yelling at me?" Dan interrupted, incredulous.

"Well, _duh_," Amy snapped. "First, you drag me here. And then you run off right when Jasmine finds me! What were you _thinking_?"

"I was thinking it would help my sister and her rat-like boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend!" a shrill voice screeched, storming into the tent. Jasmine glared at Amy, then at Ian, then back at Amy. "I knew you were out to get him!"

"Oh, what is all of the commotion?" Natalie asked, walking casually into the room. She had the aura of an uncaring being – which, indeed she was.

"This peasant stole my fiancé!" Jasmine cried, glaring at all of them.

"Stop being such a drama queen," Natalie said. "Besides, Amy and Ian are not dating, so stop yelling."

"Yeah right!" she screamed. "You're probably in this too!"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Fine, don't listen to me. Just ask Ian then."

And for the first time since she stormed in, Amy realized Ian was there.

Ian was watching the commotion break out, and he realized something, standing there. That he really did not want to marry Jasmine. But, at the same time, he didn't want to marry Amy, yet. He didn't want to marry anyone at the moment being. But he didn't want to be alone. He wanted to be with Amy.

"Ian, are you dating Amy?" Natalie asked, placing her hands on her hips. She stared at her brother expectantly. She knew the answer he'd say before he said it, and she wasn't going to make him stop.

"No," he said.

Jasmine huffed, crossing her arms.

"But I would like to."

Before Jasmine could start a rampage again, or Natalie could smirk at her, or even Amy could gasp, someone else entered the room. Ian almost grimaced once he did.

"What is all this noise?" Vikram asked, maintaining a cool stance. He glanced around the room, keeping his cool even as his eyes wandered past Amy and her brother.

"Nothing," Natalie replied breezily. "Just Ian admitting his deepest of feelings for –"

"FOR THAT PEASANT!" Jasmine screamed, pointing accusedly at Amy who was still trying to get over Ian's words.

A flicker of shock and annoyance passed the elder Kabra's face before he reclaimed his stance. "Is this true, son?" he asked, turning to his oldest son for an answer.

Ian opened his mouth, ready to lie like always. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amy, staring at him expectantly, waiting for an answer is well. He already left her once – if he didn't tell the truth now, he knew he'd lose her.

"Yes," he said quietly, not meeting either of their eyes.

Amy's lips parted softly, shocked. She knew he liked her - they had that settled just a day ago, but... he never said anything about _dating. _Weirdly enough, she... kind of liked hearing him say those words.

"Well, that's touching," Vikram said, his tone mocking now. "Too bad for Miss Cahill that you're about to marry, isn't it?"

Ian shook his head. "No father. I will no longer marry Jasmine. I'm sorry, but I can't -"

"You can, but you won't," he interrupted, his voice stone cold. "Unfortunately for you, this isn't your decision to make."

"Yes it is. I can choose who I want to and don't want to marry," Ian said defiantly, his head held up high. He looked more confident than he felt.

"Of course you can," his father said, almost sarcastic. "But if you want to stay a Kabra, you will marry Jasmine. _Or else_."

"Or else what?" Ian asked, his voice small but brave. It almost didn't sound like Ian at all, Amy thought.

"I'll disown you," Vikram said coldly. "Without a second chance and without hesitation. I can do it before the day is over, Ian."

"You'd disown your only son?" Dan interrupted, a disgusted look on his face.

Vikram scowled at the young Cahill. "That's how reality works. It's not all happy endings, Cahill," he snapped.

"But he's your only -"

"It doesn't matter. If he disobeys me, then he pays the price."

All eyes turned to Ian. Without hesitation, Ian spoke up. "I am not marrying Jasmine, Father. I have decided."

Vikram looked away, disgusted. "Fine. I will file the papers today. When midnight comes around, you will no longer be my son." He looked back at him, his eyes dark with anger. "Do you understand?"

Ian nodded once.

His father turned to Jasmine. The golden haired beauty was furious, to say the least. She had just lost her fiancé the day of their wedding, and to an orphan, no less. After all of her preparations, she was about to lose him. She just could not handle it.

So she charged.

"YOU!" she screamed, tackling Amy with all her might.

"Get off of her!" they could hear Dan yell, rushing over to help his sister. Jasmine merely pushed him aside though, too angry with Amy to deal with her brother. Screaming and scratching, she attacked Amy.

"Jasmine!" Ian yelled, pulling Jasmine away. Natalie, although indifferent, didn't enjoy hearing the screeches of Jasmine and resorted to helping Ian out as well. Brian and Gabriel, who heard the commotion from outside, immediately stepped in and helped.

Vikram just stood there for a moment, watching emotionless, before stepping out.

"Get off of Amy," Ian warned, pulling once more at Jasmine.

"NO! Not until I kill her!" Jasmine hissed. "She stole my life, and now I'm stealing hers."

Ian's face paled. _No wonder she wasn't hitting Amy, _he thought_, she's taking her energy. _He started yanking with all of his might, trying to get Jasmine off of Amy with all of his might. Even with Gabriel and Brian helping, and Natalie at least trying, Jasmine was strong and kept her hold. Finally, they were able to pull her off enough to take a look at Amy. Ian frowned at the sight.

Her reddish-brown hair was a mess of tangles, and her cheek was bruised. She was still conscious, to Ian's relief, but she looked terrified. Finally, their eyes met and Ian felt all of her fear and hate towards Jasmine. That... and something else. Relief, was it? Or perhaps disgust, because he had broken his promise to his father?

Whatever it was, it soon faded away. After struggling, they had managed to pull Jasmine off, only by paralyzing her. But by then, Amy had already fainted from loss of energy.

* * *

Ian was silently worrying in his room. Having already watched his father tell all the guests to go home because the wedding had been canceled, and watching his father sign the papers that declared Ian to no longer be a true Kabra, then finally watching Amy rest silently in her room, he was feeling very stressed out.

He didn't know what he was going to do. He would have to leave, and start a new life. And hopefully, oh so very hopefully, he could live that new life with Amy. If she agreed.

After he sorted out his messy thoughts, he went to visit Amy again. She was sleeping, but at least her breath was even now, to Ian's relief. He watched her quietly, and waited. Days passed, and Ian waited.

Finally, she awoke.

"Ian?"

Startled, the dark-haired boy jumped in his seat. When he realized who it was, a soft expression settled over him. "You're awake."

She looked up at the ceiling, still feeling weak from the energy lost. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"A few days," Ian told her, standing up to take a good look at her. She was paler than usual, but when their eyes met, a faint red blush colored her cheeks. He smiled softly at the familiar sight.

"... that's a long ti - wait, where's Dan?" Suddenly, her thoughts became frantic. She hoped with all of her heart that Jasmine had not hurt Dan as well.

Ian heard the thought and reassured her that Dan was resting. "He was not attacked, but Jasmine pushed him into a sharp corner of the table and he collapsed." He felt the rush of fear Amy felt. For reassurance, he caught her hand with his own and told her, "He's fine though. He's been awake, and he's been asking about you."

"That's good," Amy said quietly.

Ian nodded. "Yes."

They stayed beside each other in silence, neither daring to break it.

Amy finally spoke.

"So..." - she cleared her throat - "has your father... um, has he...?"

"Disowned me?" he asked. Not bitterly or snarlingly, but calmly, to Amy's surprise.

"Yeah."

Ian nodded, his hand still enveloped around hers. "He's signed the papers. I am going to be out of here when you and your brother finish healing."

Amy bit her lip down nervously, not knowing what to say.

But the young man in front of her knew exactly what he wanted her to say. He held onto her hand tightly, and looked into her innocent jade eyes, then said:

"Say you'll stay with me."

* * *

**A/N: **Originally, this was the second to last chapter, with an epilogue. I decided that this, because of the new changes I found fitting, is the last chapter. An epilogue will be added later. I am so happy. Huzzah. It'll be kind of formatted like a long oneshot (the epilogue), following the events of what happened. So, everyone, how did you like it? :)

Oh, and I'm sorry. It's been over a MONTH since the last update o.o Unfortunately, this is NOT betaed, though I did read over it myself. I think PBG is done with it, but she hasn't been on, so... But when I DO get it back, I will replace this chapter with the betaed version. I know I should wait and all, but it's been, as I said, a long time.

I'm starting the editing process. I am taking out Hamilton from the earlier chapters, because it was really unnecessary, and fixing some stuff. Cropping down author's notes too... and ya-da, ya-da :)

"The end is merely a new beginning."  
- Another Artist


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The rest that followed was much like a fairytale, though its once upon a time was much before. **  
**

No longer a true Kabra by law, Ian set off to find a job after he graduated from college. He managed, without surprise, to become the co-CEO of a big law-firm. He later admitted that he used his powers as an advantage, though he followed that with, "If you've got it, use it." Amy couldn't argue with that.

Though Natalie was not disowned like her brother, she secretly stayed in touch with him. She used his law-firm often too when she grew up and took over their parents' art dealing. The two did not see each other for months after the incident, however. They finally were reunited at a meeting where the two had to discuss the lawyers.

As expected, Amy agreed to be with Ian. Though her instincts told her to stay away, she felt as if the time spent together at his estate made their bond too strong to have been broken so easily. After the two of them graduated, they moved in together to a condo. While Ian protested to such a small home, Amy found it cozy. The two attended college at separate schools, though stayed close the rest of the time.

Dan lived with them until he grew up, and once he turned eighteen, he moved out and started attending college immediately. He was "sick of all the lovey-dovey stuff there". He, of course, kept in touch with his sister, who became a part-time writer and a historian at a very famous museum.

After months together, Ian and Amy still went strong. Over a year passed when Ian finally popped the big question, which led to Amy hyperventilating and hitting him with her slipper as she ran away. The first proposal she had rejected, which saddened Ian, though she promised him it wasn't her final word.

It's now been two years, and while they are not yet married, they're close enough to their happily ever after.

And if the two were ever to get separated, though the chance is slim, they still have their angel to watch over them in the form of a white and black bird...

* * *

**A/N: **It wasn't supposed to be this short [it was supposed to be WAY longer], but I could not make it work the way I wanted [sob]. Anyway, thanks to everyone for reading :) Finally, I present you with the finished "The White & Black Bird".

Note - I fixed all the mistakes in the epilogue, and I didn't forget the quote - I didn't plan for the epilogue to have a quote. Sorry...

**- Another Artist**


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